,transcriber's note3     ,the           
punctuation and spelling from the       
original text have been    faithfully   
preserved4 ,only obvious typographical  
errors have    been corrected4     ,the 
pointing finger symbol in the           
advertisement section is    represented 
by --4      ,,the ,,cruise ,,of ,,the   
,,betsey2  ,or1  ,a ,summer ,ramble     
,among the ,fossiliferous ,deposits of  
the ,hebrides4  ,with  ,,rambles ,,of ,a
 ,,geologist2  ,or1  ,ten ,thousand     
,miles ,over the ,fossiliferous         
,deposits of ,scotland4  by  ,,hugh     
,,miller1 ,,ll4 ,d41  ,author of ,the   
,old ,red ,sandstone1 ,footprints of the
 ,creator1 ,my ,schools and             
,schoolmasters1 ,the ,testimony of the  
,rocks1 ,etc4        ,boston3 ,gould and
 ,lincoln1 #ei ,washington ,street4 ,new
 ,york3 ,sheldon and ,company4          
,cincinnati3 ,geo4 ,s4 ,blanchard4      
#ahfb4  ,entered according to ,act of   
,congress1 in the year #aheh1 by ,gould 
and ,lincoln1 ,in the ,clerk's ,office  

of the ,district ,court of the ,district
 of ,massachusetts4  ,authorized        
,edition4  ,by a special arrangement    
with the late ,hugh ,miller1 ,gould ,and
 ,lincoln became the authorized         
,american publishers of his works4 ,by a
 similar arrangement made with the      
family since his decease1 they will also
 publish his ,,posthumous ,,works1 of   
which the present volume is the first4  
,electrotyped by ,w4 ,f4 ,draper1       
,andover1 ,mass4  ,printed by ,geo4 ,c4 
,rand  ,avery1 ,boston4     ,,preface4  
,naturalists of every class know too    
well how ,,hugh ,,miller died--the      
victim of an overworked brain2 and how  
that bright and vigorous spirit was     
abruptly quenched forever4  ,during the 
month of ,may 7#aheg7 ,mrs4 ,miller came
 to ,malvern1 after recovering from the 
first shock of bereavement1 in search of
 health and repose1 and evidently hoping
 to do justice1 on her recovery1 to the 
literary remains of her husband4        
,unhappily the excitement and anxiety   

naturally attaching to a revision of her
 husband's works proved over much for   
one suffering under such recent trial1  
and from an affection of the brain and  
spine which ensued2 and1 in consequence1
 ,mrs4 ,miller has been forbidden1 for  
the present1 to engage in any work of   
mental labor4  ,under these             
circumstances1 and at ,mrs4 ,miller's   
request1 ,i have undertaken the editing 
of ,the ,cruise of the ,betsey1 or a    
,summer ,ramble among the ,fossiliferous
 ,deposits of the ,hebrides1 as well as 
,the ,rambles of a ,geologist1 hitherto 
unpublished1 save as a series of        
articles in the ,witness newspaper4 ,the
 style and arguments of ,,hugh ,,miller 
are so peculiarly his own1 that ,i have 
not presumed to alter the text1 and have
 merely corrected some statements       
incidental to the condition of          
geological knowledge at the time this   
work was penned4 ,the ,cruise of the    
,betsey was written for that well-known 
paper the ,witness during the period    

when a disputation productive of much   
bitter feeling waged between the ,free  
and ,established ,churches of ,scotland2
 but as the ,disruption and its history 
possesses little interest to a large    
class of the readers of this work1 who  
will rejoice to follow their favorite   
author among the isles and rocks of the 
bonnie land1 ,i have expunged some      
passages1 which ,i am assured the author
 would have omitted had he lived to     
reprint this interesting narrative of   
his geological rambles4 ,,hugh ,,miller 
battled nobly for his faith while       
living4 ,the sword is in the scabbard3  
let it rest6   ,w4,s4 ,,symonds4        
,,pendock ,,rectory1 ,,april #a1 #aheh4 
,,contents4   ,,part ,i4  ,,the ,,cruise
 ,,of ,,the ,,betsey4   ,,chapter ,i4   
,preparation--,departure--,recent and   
,ancient ,monstrosities--,a ,free       
,church ,yacht--,down the               
,clyde--,jura--,prof4 ,walker's         
,experiment--,whirlpool near            
,scarba--,geological ,character of the  

,western ,highlands--,an                
,illustration--,different ,ages of      
,outer and      ,inner ,hebrides--,mt4  
,blanc and the ,himalayas mere          
upstarts--,esdaile ,quarries--,oban--,a 
,section through ,conglomerate      and 
,slate examined--,mc,dougal's           
,dog-stone--,power of the ,ocean to     
move ,rocks--,sound of ,mull--,the      
,betsey--,the ,minister's               
,cabin--,village of ,tobermory--,the    
,florida1 a ,wreck of the               
,invincible ,armada--,geologic          
,exploration and ,discovery--,at        
,anchor4 #ae   ,,chapter ,,ii4          
,the ,minister's ,larder--,no           
,harbor--,eigg ,shoes--,tormentilla     
erecta--,for the ,witness'              
,sake--,eilean ,chaisteil--,appearance  
of      ,eigg--,chapel of ,st4          
,donan--,shell-sand--,origin of         
,secondary      ,calcareous ,rock       
suggested--,exploration of              
,eigg--,pitchstone ,veins--,a      ,bone
 ,cave--,massacre at ,eigg--,grouping of

 ,human ,bones in the                   
,cave--,relics--,the ,horse's ,tooth--,a
 ,copper ,sewing ,needle--,teeth        
found--,man a worse ,animal than his    
,teeth show him to have been            
designed for--,story of the             
,massacre--,another ,version--,scuir of 
,eigg--,the ,scuir a ,giant's           
,causeway--,character of the            
,columns--,remains of a ,prostrate      
,forest4                           #ca  
,,chapter ,,iii4       ,structure of the
 ,scuir--,a stray ,column--,the         
,piazza--,a buried ,pine      ,forest   
the ,foundation of the                  
,scuir--,geological ,poachers in a      
,fossil      ,preserve--,pinites        
,eiggensis--,its ,description--,witham's
      ,experiments on ,fossil ,pine of  
,eigg--,rings of the ,pine--,ascent of  
the ,scuir--,appearance of the          
,top--,white ,pitchstone--,mr4 ,greig's 
,discovery of ,pumice--,a ,sunset       
,scene--,the ,manse and the ,yacht--,the
      ,minister's ,story--,a ,cottage   

,repast--,american ,timber drifted to   
the      ,hebrides--,agency of the ,gulf
 ,stream--,the ,minister's ,sheep4      
#di   ,,chapter ,,iv4       ,an         
,excursion--,the ,chain of              
,crosses--,bay of ,laig--,island of     
,rum--,description of the               
,island--,superstitions banished by pure
      ,religion--,fossil                
,shells--,remarkable ,oyster ,bed--,new 
species of      ,belemnite--,oolitic    
,shells--,white ,sandstone              
,precipices--,gigantic      ,petrified  
,mushrooms--,christabel in              
,stone--,musical ,sand--,jabel          
,nakous1 or ,mountain of the            
,bell--,experiments of ,travellers at   
,jabel ,nakous--,welsted's              
,account--,reg-,rawan1 or the ,moving   
,sand--,the ,musical ,sounds            
inexplicable--,article on the subject in
      the ,north ,british ,review4      
#ff   ,,chapter ,v4                     
,trap-dykes--,cotton                    
,apples--,alternation of ,lacustrine    

with ,marine      ,remains--,analogy    
from the ,beds of ,esk--,aspect of the  
,island on its      narrow ,front--,the 
,puffin--,ru ,stoir--,development of    
,old ,red      ,sandstone--,striking    
,columnar character of ,ru              
,stoir--,discovery of      ,reptilian   
,remains--,john ,stewart's wonder at the
 ,bones in the                          
,stones--,description of the            
,bones--,dragons1 ,gorgons1 and         
,chimeras--,exploration and ,discovery  
pursued--,the ,midway      ,shieling--,a
 ,celtic ,welcome--,return to the       
,yacht--,array of ,fossils      new to  
,scotch ,geology--,a ,geologist's       
,toast--,hoffman and his      ,fossil4  
#he   ,,chapter ,,vi4       ,something  
for ,non-geologists--,man               
,destructive--,a ,better and ,last      
,creation coming--,a ,rainy             
,sabbath--,the ,meeting ,house--,the    
,congregation--,the ,sermon in          
,gaelic--,the ,old ,wondrous            
,story--,the      ,drunken ,minister of 

,eigg--,presbyterianism without         
,life--,dr4      ,johnson's ,account of 
the ,conversion of the ,people of       
,rum--,romanism      at ,eigg--,the ,two
 ,boys--,the ,freebooter of             
,eigg--,voyage resumed--,the            
,homeless ,minister--,harbor of ,isle   
,ornsay--,interesting ,gneiss           
,deposit--,a ,norwegian ,keep--,gneiss  
at ,knock--,curious                     
,chemistry--,sea-cliffs beyond          
,portsea--,the ,goblin ,luidag--,scenery
 of      ,skye4                         
#aje   ,,chapter ,,vii4                 
,exploration resumed--,geology of       
,rasay--,an ,illustration--,the ,storr  
of ,skye--,from ,portree to             
,holm--,discovery of ,fossils--,an      
,island      ,rain--,sir ,r4            
,murchison--,labor of ,drawing a        
,geological ,line--,three               
,edinburgh                              
,gentlemen--,prosopolepsia--,wrong      
,surmises corrected--,the      ,mail    
,gig--,the ,portree ,postmaster--,isle  

,ornsay--,an ,old                       
,acquaintance--,reminiscences--,a ,run  
for ,rum--,semi-fossil                  
,madeira--,idling on ,deck--,prognostics
 of a ,storm--,description of      the  
,gale--,loch ,scresort--,the ,minister's
 lost ,sou-wester--,the ,free           
,church ,gathering--,the weary          
,minister4                              
#abc   ,,chapter ,,viii4       ,geology 
of ,rum--,its curious ,character        
illustrated--,rum famous for            
,bloodstones--,red                      
,sandstones--,scratchings in the        
,rocks--,a      ,geological ,inscription
 without a ,key--,the ,lizard--,vitality
 broken      into                       
two--,illustrations--,speculation--,scui
r ,more--,ascent of the                 
,scuir--,the ,bloodstones--,an          
,illustrative ,set of the               
,gem--,m',culloch's      ,pebble--,a    
,chemical ,problem--,the solitary       
,shepherd's ,house--,sheep      versus  
,men--,the ,depopulation of ,rum--,a    

,haul of ,trout--,rum ,mode of          
catching ,trout--,at ,anchor in the ,bay
 of ,glenelg4                 #aci      
,,chapter ,,ix4       ,kyles of         
,skye--,a ,gneiss ,district--,kyle      
,rhea--,a ,boiling ,tide--,a      ,take 
of ,sillocks--,the ,betsey's ,paces--,in
 the ,bay at                            
,broadford--,rain--,island of           
,pabba--,description of the             
,island--,its      ,geological          
,structure--,astrea--,polypifers--,gryph
oea      incurva--,three ,groups of     
,fossils in the ,lias of                
,skye--,abundance of      the           
,petrifactions of                       
,pabba--,scenery--,pabba a piece of     
smooth1      level ,england--,fossil    
,shells of ,pabba--- ,voyage            
resumed--,kyle      ,akin--,ruins of    
,castle ,maoil--,a ,thornback           
,dinner--,the ,bunch of      ,deep ,sea 
,tangle--,the ,caileach ,stone--,kelp   
,furnaces--,escape of the      ,betsey  
from sinking4                           

#aei   ,,chapter ,x4       ,isle        
,orusay--,the ,sabbath--,a              
,sailor-minister's ,sermon for          
,sailors--,the ,scuir ,sermon--,loch    
,carron--,groups of ,moraines--,a sheep 
,district--,the ,editor of the ,witness 
and the ,establishment                  
,clergyman--,dingwall--,conon-side      
revisited--,the ,pond and its           
,changes--,new ,faces4--,the            
,stonemason's ,mark--,the               
,burying-ground of      ,urquhart--,an  
old ,acquaintance--,property            
,qualification for ,voting in           
,scotland--,montgerald ,sandstone       
,quarries--,geological ,science in      
,cromarty--,the ,danes at               
,cromarty--,the ,danish ,professor and  
the ,old      ,red                      
,sandstone--,harmonizing ,tendencies of 
,science4               #agh   ,,chapter
 ,,xi4       ,ichthyolite ,beds--,an    
interesting ,discovery--,two ,storeys of
 ,organic      ,remains in the ,old ,red
 ,sandstone--,ancient ,ocean of ,lower  

,old      ,red--,two great              
,catastrophes--,ancient ,fish           
,scales--,their skilful      ,mechanism 
displayed by examples--,bone            
,lips--,arts of the ,slater and         
,tiler as old as ,old ,red              
,sandstone--,jet ,trinkets--,flint      
,arrow-heads--,vitrified ,forts of      
,scotland--,style of grouping ,lower    
,old ,red ,fossils--,illustration from  
,cromarty ,fishing                      
,phenomena--,singular ,remains of       
,holoptychius--,ramble with ,mr4 ,robert
      ,dick--,color of the ,planet      
,mars--,tombs never dreamed of by       
,hervey--,skeleton of the               
,bruce--,gigantic ,holoptychius--,coal  
money      ,currency--,upper ,boundary  
of ,lower ,old ,red--,every one may add 
to      the ,store of ,geological       
,facts--,discoveries of ,messrs4 ,dick  
and      ,peach4                        
#aib   ,,chapter ,,xii4                 
,ichthyolite ,beds of ,clune and        
,lethenbarn--,limestone                 

,quarry--,destruction of ,urns and      
,sarcophagi in the                      
,lime-kiln--,nodules opened--,beautiful 
coloring of the      ,remains--,patrick 
,duff's ,description--,new ,genus of    
,morayshire      ,ichthyolite           
described--,form and size of the        
,nodules or ,stone                      
,coffins--,illustration from ,mrs4      
,marshall's ,cements--,forest of        
,darnaway--,the ,hill of                
,berries--,sluie--,elgin--,outliers of  
the ,weald      and the                 
,oolite--,description of the ,weald at  
,linksfield--,mr4 ,duff's               
,lepidotus minor--,eccentric ,types of  
,fish ,scales--,visit to the            
,sandstones of ,scat-,craig--,fine suit 
of ,fossils at ,scat-,craig--,true      
graveyard ,bones1 not mere              
,impressions--,varieties of             
pattern--,the      ,diker's ,carved     
,flowers--,stagonolepis1 a new          
,genus--,termination      of the        
,ramble4                                

#bab   ,,chapter ,,xiii4                
,,supplementary4                        
,supplementary--,isolated ,reptile      
,remains in ,eigg--,small ,isles        
revisited--,the ,betsey again--,storm   
bound--,tacking--,becalmed--,medusae    
caught and described--,rain--,a ,shoal  
of ,porpoises--,change of               
,weather--,the bed-ridden ,woman--,the  
,poor ,law ,act for                     
,scotland--,geological                  
,excursion--,basaltic ,columns--,oolitic
      ,beds--,abundance of ,organic     
,remains--,hybodus ,teeth--,discovery of
      reptile ,remains in situ--,musical
 ,sand of ,laig                         
re-examined--,explanation               
suggested--,sail for ,isle              
,ornsay--,anchored      ,clouds--,a     
,leak sprung--,peril of the ,betsey--,at
 work with ,pump and      ,pails--,safe 
in ,harbor--,return to ,edinburgh4      
#bcc   ,,part ,,ii4  ,,rambles ,,of ,a  
,,geologist4   ,,chapter ,i4            
,embarkation--,a foundered              

,vessel--,lateness of the ,harvest      
dependent      on the ,geological       
character of the ,soil--,a ,granite     
,harvest and an      ,old ,red          
,harvest--,cottages of ,redstone and of 
,granite--,arable ,soil      of         
,scotland the result of a ,geological   
,grinding ,agency--,locality of      the
 ,famine of #ahdf--,mr4 ,longmuir's     
,fossils--,geology necessary to a       
,theologian--,popularizers of ,science  
when dangerous--,constitution      of   
,man1 and ,vestiges of ,creation--,atop 
of the ,banff ,coach--,a                
,geologist's ,field ,equipment--,the    
trespassing ,stirk--,silurian           
,schists inlaid with ,old ,red--,bay of 
,gamrie1 how                            
formed--,gardenstone--,geological       
,free-masonry illustrated--,how to      
break an ,ichthyolite ,nodule--,an old  
,rhyme mended--,a raised                
,beach--,fossil ,shells--,scotland under
 ,water at the time of the              
,boulder-clays4                         

#bee   ,,chapter ,,ii4       ,character 
of the ,rocks near ,gardenstone--,a     
,defunct ,father-lasher--,a             
,geological ,inference--,village of     
,gardenstone--,the drunken              
,scot--,gardenstone ,inn--,lord         
,gardenstone--,a ,tempest               
threatened--,the      ,author's ,ghost  
,story--,the ,lady in ,green--,her      
,appearance and      ,tricks--,the      
,rescued ,children--,the murdered       
,peddler and his      ,pack--,where the 
,green ,dress came from--,village of    
,macduff--,peculiar      ,appearance of 
the ,beach at the ,mouth of the         
,deveron--,dr4 ,emslie's                
,fossils--,pterichthys                  
quadratus--,argillaceous ,deposits of   
,blackpots--,pipe-laying in             
,scotland--,fossils of ,blackpots       
,clay--,mr4      ,longmuir's            
,description of them--,blackpots        
,deposit a ,re-formation of      a      
,liasic ,patch--,period of its          
,formation4                         #bgj

   ,,chapter ,,iii4       ,from         
,blackpots to ,portsoy--,character of   
the ,coast--,burn of      ,boyne--,fever
 ,phantoms--,graphic                    
,granite--,maupertuis and the ,runic    
,inscription--,explanation of the quo   
modo of ,graphic      ,granite--,portsoy
 ,inn--,serpentine ,beds--,portsoy      
,serpentine      unrivalled for small   
ornaments--,description of              
it--,significance of      the term      
serpentine--,elizabeth ,bond and her    
,letters--,from      ,portsoy to        
,cullen--,attritive ,power of the ,ocean
 illustrated--,the                      
,equinoctial--,from ,cullen to          
,fochabers--,the ,old ,red again--,the  
old      ,pensioner--,fochabers--,mr4   
,joss1 the learned ,mail-guard--,the    
,editor      a sort of ,coach-guard--,on
 the ,coach to ,elgin--,geology of      
,banffshire--,irregular paging of the   
,geologic ,leaves--,geologic ,map       
of the ,county like ,joseph's           
,coat--,striking ,illustration4         

#bia   ,,chapter ,,iv4                  
,yellow-hued ,houses of ,elgin--,geology
 of the ,country indicated by      the  
coloring of the ,stone ,houses--,fossils
 of ,old ,red north of the              
,grampians different from those of ,old 
,red south--,geologic      ,formations  
at ,linksfield difficult to be          
understood--,ganoid ,scales      of the 
,wealden--,sudden ,reaction1 from       
complex to simple1 in the      ,scales  
of ,fishes--,pore-covered               
,scales--,extraordinary amount of       
,design exhibited in ,ancient ,ganoid   
,scales--,holoptychius ,scale           
illustrated by ,cromwell's fluted       
pot--,patrick ,duff's ,geological       
,collection--,elgin ,museum--,fishes of 
the ,ganges--,armature of ,ancient      
,fishes--,compensatory ,defences--- ,the
 ,hermit-crab--,spines of the           
,pimelodi--,ride to                     
,campbelton--,theories of the formation 
of      ,ardersier and ,fortrose        
,promontories--,tradition of their      

construction by the ,wizard1 ,michael   
,scott--,a ,region of ,legendary        
,lore4                                  
#cjg   ,,chapter ,v4       ,rosemarkie  
and its ,scaurs--,kaes' ,craig--,a      
,jackdaw      ,settlement--,rosemarkie  
,kaes and ,cromarty ,cooties--,the      
,danes1      a ,group of                
,excavations--,at ,home in              
,cromarty--,the ,boulder-clay of        
,cromarty begins to tell its story--,one
 of its marked ,scenic                  
,peculiarities--,hints to ,landscape    
,painters--,samuel's ,well--,a          
,chain of ,bogs geologically accounted  
for--,another ,scenic                   
,peculiarity--,ha-has of ,nature's      
digging--,the ,author's earliest        
,field of ,hard ,labor--,picturesque    
,cliff of ,boulder-clay--,scratchings   
on the ,sandstone--,invariable          
,characteristic of true                 
,boulder-clay--,scratchings on ,pebbles 
in the line of the longer               
axis--,illustration from the            

,boulder-clay of ,banff4                
#cbd   ,,chapter ,,vi4       ,organisms 
of the ,boulder-clay not                
unequivocal--,first ,impressions of     
the ,boulder-clay--,difficulty of       
accounting for its barrenness of        
,remains--,sir ,charles ,lyell's        
reasoning--,a ,fact to the              
contrary--,human ,skull dug from a      
,clay-bank--,the ,author's ,change of   
,belief respecting ,organic ,remains of 
the ,boulder-clay--,shells from      the
 ,clay at ,wick--,questions respecting  
them settled--,conclusions              
confirmed by ,mr4 ,dick's ,discoveries  
at ,thurso--,sir ,john ,sinclair's      
,discovery of ,boulder-clay ,shells in  
#ahjb--;,comminution of the ,shells     
illustrated--,cyprina islandica--,its   
,preservation in larger                 
,proportions than those of other ,shells
 accounted for--,boulder-clays      of  
,scotland reformed during the existing  
,geological ,epoch--,scotland      in   
the ,period of the ,boulder-clay merely 

three detached groups of                
,islands--,evidence of the ,subsidence  
of the ,land in                         
,scotland--,confirmed by ,rev4 ,mr4     
,cumming's conclusion--,high-lying      
,granite ,boulders--,marks of a         
succeeding elevatory                    
,period--,scandinavia now               
rising--,autobiography of a ,boulder    
desirable--,a ,story of the             
,supernatural4                          
#ccf   ,,chapter ,,vii4       ,relation 
of the deep red stone of ,cromarty to   
the ,ichthyolite ,beds      of the      
,system--,ruins of a ,fossil-charged    
,bed--,journey to ,avoch--,red      ,dye
 of the ,boulder-clay distinct from the 
substance      itself--,variation of    
,coloring in the ,boulder-clay ,red     
,sandstone      accounted for--,hard-pan
 how formed--,a reformed ,garden--,an   
ancient      ,battle-field--,antiquity  
of ,geologic and ,human ,history        
compared--,burn of                      
,killein--,observation made in boyhood  

confirmed--,fossil-nodules--,fine       
,specimen of ,coccosteus                
decipiens--,blank strata of ,old        
,red--,new ,view respecting the ,rocks  
of ,black ,isle--,a ,trip up ,moray and 
,dingwall ,friths--,altered color       
of the ,boulder-clay--,up the           
,auldgrande ,river--,scenery of the     
great      ,conglomerate--,graphic      
,description--,laidlaw's                
,boulder--,vaccinium                    
myrtillus--,profusion of ,travelled     
,boulders--,the ,boulder ,clach         
,malloch--,its zones of ,animal and     
,vegetable life4                #cee    
,,chapter ,,viii4       ,imaginary      
,autobiography of the ,clach ,malloch   
,boulder--,its      ,creation--,its     
,long ,night of unsummed                
,centuries--,laid open to light      on 
a desert ,island--,surrounded by an     
,arctic ,vegetation--,undermined      by
 the rising ,sea--,locked up and floated
 off on an ,ice-field--,at      rest on 
the ,sea-bottom--,another ,night of     

unsummed ,years--,the      ,boulder     
raised again above the waves by the     
rising of the      ,land--,beholds an   
,altered ,country--,pine ,forests and   
,mammals--,another      ,period of ,ages
 passes--,the ,boulder again floated off
 by an      ,iceberg--,finally at rest  
on the ,shore of ,cromarty ,bay--,time  
and      ,occasion of naming            
it--,strange ,phenomena accounted for by
      ,earthquakes--,how the ,boulder of
 ,petty ,bay was moved--,the ,boulder of
      ,auldgrande--,the old ,highland   
,paupers--,the little ,parsi ,girl--,her
      ,letter to her ,papa--,but one    
,human ,nature on ,earth--,journey      
resumed--,conon ,burying ,ground--,an   
aged ,couple--,gossip4           #cge   
,,chapter ,,ix4       ,the ,great       
,conglomerate--,its ,undulatory and     
,rectilinear      ,members--,knock      
,farril and its ,vitrified ,fort--,the  
old ,highlanders      an observant      
race--,the ,vein of ,silver--,summit of 
,knock ,farril--,mode      of accounting

 for the ,luxuriance of ,herbage in the 
ancient ,scottish      ,fortalices--,the
 green ,graves of ,culloden--,theories  
respecting the      ,vitrification of   
the ,hill-forts--,combined ,theories of 
,williams and      ,mackenzie probably  
give the correct account--,the ,author's
      ,explanation--,transformations of 
,fused ,rocks--,strathpetlier--,the     
,spa--,permanent ,odoriferous ,qualities
 of an ancient ,sea-bottom              
converted into ,rock--,mineral ,springs 
of the ,spa--,infusion of the           
powdered rock a substitute--,belemnite  
,water--,the lively young      ,lady's  
,comments--,a befogged ,country seen    
from a                                  
hill-top--,ben-,wevis--,journey to      
,evanton--,a ,geologist's               
,night-mare--,the ,route ,home--,ruins  
of ,craig house--,incompatibility       
of ,tea and ,ghosts--,end of the ,tour4 
#cic   ,,chapter ,x4       ,recovered   
,health--,journey to the                
,orkneys--,aboard the ,steamer at       

,wick--,mr4 ,bremner--,masonry of the   
,harbor of ,wick--,the greatest         
,blunders result from good ,rules       
misapplied--,mr4 ,bremner's ,theory     
about sea-washed ,masonry--,singular    
,fracture of the ,rock near             
,wick--,the ,author's mode of accounting
 for it--,simple but not      obvious   
,thinking--,mr4 ,bremner's mode of      
making stone ,erections      under      
,water--,his exploits in raising        
foundered ,vessels--,aspect of      the 
,orkneys--,the ungracious               
,schoolmaster--,in the ,frith of        
,kirkwall--,cathedral of ,st            
,magnus--,appearance of ,kirkwall--,its 
perished suppers--,its ancient          
,palaces--,blunder of the ,scotch       
,aristocracy--,the patronate            
,wedge--,breaking ,ground in            
,orkney--,minute      ,gregarious       
,coccosteus--,true ,position of the     
,coccosteus' ,eyes--,ruins      of one  
of ,cromwell's ,forts--,antiquities of  
,orkney--,the      ,cathedral--,its     

,sculptures--,the ,mysterious           
,cell--,prospect from the               
,tower--,its ,chimes--,ruins of ,castle 
,patrick4                      #dad     
,,chapter ,,xi4       ,the ,bishop's    
,palace at ,orkney--,haco the           
,norwegian--,icelandic      ,chronicle  
respecting his ,expedition to           
,scotland--,his ,death--,removal      of
 his ,remain to ,norway--,why ,norwegian
 ,invasion                              
ceased--,straw-plaiting--,the ,lassies  
of ,orkney--,orkney ,type of            
,countenance--,celtic and               
,scandinavian--,an accomplished         
,antiquary--,old ,manuscripts--,an old  
,tune book--,manuscript ,letter of      
,mary ,queen of ,scots--,letters of     
,general ,monck--,the fearless          
,covenanter--,cave of the ,rebels--,why 
the tragedy of ,gustavus ,vasa      was 
prohibited--,quarry of ,pickoquoy--,its 
,fossil ,shells--,journey to            
,stromness--,scenery--,birth-place of   
,malcolm1 the ,poet--,his               

,history--,one of his ,poems--,his      
,brother a ,free ,church ,minister--,new
      ,scenery4                         
#dcg   ,,chapter ,,xii4       ,hills of 
,orkney--,their ,geologic               
,composition--,scene of ,scott's        
,pirate--,stromness--,geology of the    
,district--,seeking                     
beasts--,conglomerate in contact with   
,granite--,a palaeozoic ,hudson's       
,bay--,thickness of ,conglomerate of    
,orkney--,oldest ,vertebrate yet        
discovered in ,orkney--,its             
,size--,figure of a characteristic plate
 of      the ,asterolepis--,peculiarity 
of ,old ,red ,fishes--,length of the    
,asterolepis--,a rich ,ichthyolite      
,bed--,arrangement of the               
,layers--,queries as to the ,cause of   
it--,minerals--,an abandoned            
,mine--,a lost ,vessel--,kelp for       
,iodine--,a dangerous ,coast--,incidents
      of                                
,shipwreck--,hospitality--,stromness    
,museum--,diplopterus mistaken      for 

,dipterus--,their ,resemblances and     
,differences--,visit to a               
remarkable ,stack--,paring the ,soil for
 ,fuel1 and consequent                  
,barrenness--,description of the        
,stack--,wave-formed ,caves--,height to 
which the ,surf rises4                  
#deg   ,,chapter ,,xiii4       ,detached
 ,fossils--,remains of the              
,pterichthys--,terminal ,bones of the   
,coccosteus1 etc41 preserved--,internal 
,skeleton of ,coccosteus--,the          
shipwrecked ,sailor in the              
,cave--,bishop ,grahame--,his           
,character1 as      drawn by            
,baillie--,his ,successor--,ruins of the
 ,bishop's                              
,country-house--,sub-aerial ,formation  
of ,sandstone--,formation near      ,new
 ,kaye--,inference from such            
,formation--,tour resumed--,loch of     
,stennis--,waters of the ,loch fresh1   
brackish1 and salt--,vegetation         
varied accordingly--,change produced in 
the ,flounder by fresh      water--,the 

,standing ,stones1 second only to       
,stonehenge--,their                     
,purpose--,their ,appearance and        
,situation--,diameter of the            
,circle--,what the ,antiquaries say of  
it--,reference to it in the             
,pirate--,dr4 ,hibbert's ,account4      
#dgf   ,,chapter ,,xiv4       ,on       
,horseback--,a pared ,moor--,small      
,landholders--,absorption of small      
holdings in ,england and                
,scotland--,division of ,land favorable 
to      ,civil and ,religious           
,rights--,favorable to social           
,elevation--,an      inland             
,parish--,the ,landsman and             
,lobster--,wild ,flowers of             
,orkney--,law of ,compensation          
illustrated by the ,tobacco             
,plant--,poverty tends to               
,productiveness--,illustrated in        
,ireland--,profusion of                 
,ichthyolites--,orkney a land of        
,defunct      ,fishes--,sandwick--,a    
,collection of ,coccostean ,flags--,a   

,quarry full      of ,heads of          
,dipteri--,the ,bergil1 or ,striped     
,wrasse--,its ,resemblance      to the  
,dipterus--,poverty of the ,flora of the
 ,lower ,old ,red--,no true             
,coniferous ,wood in the ,orkney        
,flagstones--,departure for ,hoy--,the  
intelligent ,boatman--,story of the     
,orkney ,fisherman4              #dib   
,,chapter ,,xv4       ,hoy--,unique     
,scenery--,the ,dwarfie ,stone of       
,hoy--,sir ,walter ,scott's             
,account of it--,its                    
,associations--,inscription of          
,names--,george      ,buchanan's        
,consolation--,the mythic ,carbuncle of 
the ,hill of ,hoy--,no      ,fossils at 
,hoy--,striking ,profile of ,sir ,walter
 ,scott on the ,hill of      ,hoy--,sir 
,walter1 and ,shetland and              
,orkney--,originals of two              
,characters in ,the ,pirate--,bessie    
,millie--,garden of ,gow1 the           
,pirate--,childhood's ,scene of ,byron's
 ,torquil--,the ,author's               

,introduction to his ,sister--,a ,german
 ,visitor--,german and ,scotch          
,sabbath-keeping habits contrasted--,mr4
 ,watt's ,specimens of ,fossil          
,remains--,the only new ,organism found 
in ,orkney--,back to      ,kirkwall--to 
,wick--,vedder's ,ode to ,orkney4       
#ejg     ,,the ,,cruise ,,of ,,the      
,,betsey4     ,,chapter ,i4             
,preparation--,departure--,recent and   
,ancient ,monstrosities--,a ,free       
,church ,yacht--,down the               
,clyde--,jura--,prof4 ,walker's         
,experiment--,whirlpool near            
,scarba--,geological ,character of the  
,western ,highlands--,an                
,illustration--,different ,ages of      
,outer and      ,inner ,hebrides--,mt4  
,blanc and the ,himalayas mere          
upstarts--,esdaile ,quarries--,oban--,a 
,section through ,conglomerate      and 
,slate examined--,m',dougal's           
,dog-stone--,power of the ,ocean to     
move ,rocks--,sound of ,mull--,the      
,betsey--,the ,minister's               

,cabin--,village of ,tobermory--,the    
,florida1 a ,wreck of the               
,invincible ,armada--,geologic          
,exploration and ,discovery--,at        
,anchor4   ,the pleasant month of ,july 
had again come round1 and for full five 
weeks ,i was free4 ,chisels and hammers1
 and the bag for specimens1 were taken  
from their corner in the dark closet1   
and packed up with half a stone weight  
of a fine soft ,conservative ,edinburgh 
newspaper1 valuable for a quality of    
preserving old things entire4 ,at noon  
on ,st4 ,swithin's day 7,monday the     
#aeth71 ,i was speeding down the ,clyde 
in the ,toward ,castle steamer1 for     
,tobermory in ,mull4 ,in the previous   
season ,i had intended passing direct   
from the ,oolitic deposits of the       
eastern coast of ,scotland1 to the      
,oolitic deposits of the ,hebrides4 ,but
 the weeks glided all too quickly away  
among the ichthyolites of ,caithness and
 ,cromarty1 and the shells and lignites 
of ,sutherland and ,ross4 ,my friend1   

too1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,swanson1 of ,small 
,isles1 on whose assistance ,i had      
reckoned1 was in the middle of his      
troubles at the time1 with no longer a  
home in his parish1 and not yet provided
 with one elsewhere2 and ,i concluded he
 would have but little heart1 at such a 
season1 for breaking into rocks1 or for 
passing from the too pressing           
monstrosities of an existing state of   
things1 to the old lapidified           
monstrosities of the past4 ,and so my   
design on the ,hebrides had to be       
postponed for a twelvemonth4 ,but my    
friend1 now afloat in his ,free ,church 
yacht1 had got a home on the sea beside 
his island charge1 which1 if not very   
secure when nights were dark and winds  
loud1 and the little vessel tilted high 
to the long roll of the ,atlantic1 lay  
at least beyond the reach of man's      
intolerance1 and not beyond the         
protecting care of the ,almighty4 ,he   
had written me that he would run down   
his vessel from ,small ,isles to meet me

 at ,tobermory1 and in consequence of   
the arrangement ,i was now on my way to 
,mull4  ,st4 ,swithin's day1 so         
important in the calendar of our humbler
 meteorologists1 had in this part of the
 country its alternate fits of sunshine 
and shower4 ,we passed gaily along the  
green banks of the ,clyde1 with their   
rich flat fields glittering in moisture1
 and their lines of stately trees1 that1
 as the light flashed out1 threw their  
shadows over the grass4 ,the river      
expanded into the estuary1 the estuary  
into the open sea2 we left behind us    
beacon1 and obelisk1 and rock-perched   
castle2--         ,merrily down we drop 
,below the church1 below the tower1     
,below the light house top1  and1 as the
 evening fell1 we were ploughing the    
outer reaches of the ,frith1 with the   
ridgy table-land of ,ayrshire stretching
 away1 green1 on the one side1 and the  
serrated peaks of ,arran rising dark and
 high on the other4 ,at sunrise next    
morning our boat lay1 unloading a       

portion of her cargo1 in one of the     
ports of ,islay1 and we could see the   
,irish coast resting on the horizon to  
the south and west1 like a long         
undulating bank of thin blue cloud2 with
 the island of ,rachrin--famous for the 
asylum it had afforded the ,bruce when  
there was no home for him in            
,scotland1--presenting in front its mass
 of darker azure4 ,on and away6 ,we     
swept past ,islay1 with its low fertile 
hills of mica-schist and slate2 and     
,jura1 with its flat dreary moors1 and  
its far-seen gigantic paps1 on one of   
which1 in the last age1 ,professor      
,walker1 of ,edinburgh1 set water a-boil
 with six degrees of heat less than he  
found necessary for the purpose on the  
plain below4 ,the ,professor describes  
the view from the summit1 which includes
 in its wide circle at once the ,isle of
 ,skye and the ,isle of ,man1 as        
singularly noble and imposing2 two such 
prospects more1 he says1 would bring    
under the eye the whole island of ,great

 ,britain1 from the ,pentland ,frith to 
the ,english ,channel4 ,we sped past    
,jura4 ,then came the ,gulf of          
,coryvrekin1 with the bare mountain     
island of ,scarba overlooking the       
fierce1 far-famed whirlpool1 that we    
could see from the deck1 breaking in    
long lines of foam1 and sending out its 
waves in wide rings on every side1 when 
not a speck of white was visible        
elsewhere in the expanse of sea around  
us4 ,and then came an opener space1     
studded with smaller islands1--mere     
hill-tops rising out of the sea1 with   
here and there insulated groups of      
pointed rocks1 the skeletons of perished
 hills1 amid which the tide chafed and  
fretted1 as if laboring to complete on  
the broken remains their work of        
denudation and ruin4  ,the disposition  
of land and water on this coast suggests
 the idea that the ,western ,highlands1 
from the line in the interior1 whence   
the rivers descend to the ,atlantic1    
with the islands beyond to the outer    

,hebrides1 are all parts of one great   
mountainous plane1 inclined slantways   
into the sea4 ,first1 the long          
withdrawing valleys of the main land1   
with their brown mossy streams1 change  
their character as they dip beneath the 
sea-level1 and become salt-water lochs4 
,the lines of hills that rise over them 
jut out as promontories1 till cut off by
 some transverse valley1 lowered still  
more deeply into the brine1 and that    
exists as a kyle1 minch1 or sound1 swept
 twice every tide by powerful currents4 
,the sea deepens as the plain slopes    
downward2 mountain-chains stand up out  
of the water as larger islands1 single  
mountains as smaller ones1 lower        
eminences as mere groups of pointed     
rocks2 till at length1 as we pass       
outwards1 all trace of the submerged    
land disappears1 and the wide ocean     
stretches out and away its unfathomable 
depths4 ,the model of some ,alpine      
country raised in plaster on a flat     
board1 and tilted slantways1 at a low   

angle1 into a basin of water1 would     
exhibit1 on a minute scale1 an          
appearance exactly similar to that      
presented by the western coast of       
,scotland and the ,hebrides4 ,the water 
would rise along the hollows1           
longitudinal and transverse1 forming    
sounds and lochs1 and surround1         
island-like1 the more deeply submerged  
eminences4 ,but an examination of the   
geology of the coast1 with its          
promontories and islands1 communicates a
 different idea4 ,these islands and     
promontories prove to be of very various
 ages and origin4 ,the outer ,hebrides  
may have existed as the inner skeleton  
of some ancient country1 contemporary   
with the main land1 and that bore on its
 upper soils the productions of perished
 creations1 at a time when by much the  
larger portion of the inner             
,hebrides1--,skye1 and ,mull1 and the   
,small ,isles1--existed as part of the  
bottom of a wide sound1 inhabited by the
 ,cephalopoda and ,enaliosaurians of the

 ,lias and the ,oolite4 ,judging from   
its components1 the ,long ,island1 like 
the ,lammermoors and the ,grampians1 may
 have been smiling to the sun when the  
,alps and the ,himalaya ,mountains lay  
buried in the abyss2 whereas the greater
 part of ,skye and ,mull must have been1
 like these vast mountain-chains of the 
,continent1 an oozy sea-floor1 over     
which the ligneous productions of the   
neighboring lands1 washed down by the   
streams1 grew heavy and sank1 and on    
which the belemnite dropped its spindle 
and the ammonite its shell4 ,the idea   
imparted of old ,scotland to the        
geologist here1--of ,scotland1 proudly1 
aristocratically1 supereminently        
old1--for it can call ,mont ,blanc a    
mere upstart1 and ,dhawalageri1 with its
 twenty-eight thousand feet of          
elevation1 a heady fellow of            
yesterday1--is not that of a land       
settling down by the head1 like a       
foundering vessel1 but of a land whose  
hills and islands1 like its great       

aristocratic families1 have arisen from 
the level in very various ages1 and     
under the operation of circumstances    
essentially diverse4  ,we left behind us
 the islands of ,lunga1 ,luing1 and     
,seil1 and entered the narrow ,sound of 
,kerrera1 with its border of ,old ,red  
conglomerate resting on the clay-slate  
of the district4 ,we had passed ,esdaile
 near enough to see the workmen employed
 in the quarries of the island1 so      
extensively known in commerce for their 
roofing slate1 and several small vessels
 beside them1 engaged in loading2 and   
now we had got a step higher in the     
geological scale1 and could mark from   
the deck the peculiar character of the  
conglomerate1 which1 in cliffs washed by
 the sea1 when the binding matrix is    
softer than the pebbles which it        
encloses1 roughens1 instead of being    
polished1 by the action of the waves1   
and which1 along the eastern side of the
 ,sound here1 seems as if formed of     
cannon-shot1 of all sizes1 embedded in  

cement4 ,the ,sound terminates in the   
beautiful bay of ,oban1 so quiet and    
sheltered1 with its two island          
breakwaters in front1--its semi-circular
 sweep of hill behind1--its long        
white-walled village1 bent like a bow1  
to conform to the inflection of the     
shore1--its mural precipices behind1    
tapestried with ivy1--its rich patches  
of green pasture1--its bosky dingles of 
shrub and tree1--and1 perched on the    
seaward promontory1 its old1 time-eaten 
keep4 ,in one part of the harbor of     
,oban1 says ,dr4 ,james ,anderson1 in   
his ,practical ,treatise on ,peat ,moss1
 7#agid71 where the depth of the sea is 
about twenty fathoms1 the bottom is     
found to consist of quick peat1 which   
affords no safe anchorage4 ,i made      
inquiry at the captain of the steamer1  
regarding this submerged deposit1 but he
 had never heard of it4 ,there are1     
however1 many such on the coasts of both
 ,britain and ,ireland4 ,we staid at    
,oban for several hours1 waiting the    

arrival of the ,fort ,william steamer2  
and1 taking out hammer and chisel from  
my bag1 ,i stepped ashore to question my
 ancient acquaintance1 the ,old ,red    
conglomerate1 and was fortunate enough  
to meet on the pier-head1 as ,i landed1 
one of the best of companions for       
assisting in such work1 ,mr4 ,colin     
,elder1 of ,isle ,ornsay1--the gentleman
 who had so kindly furnished my friend  
,mr4 ,swanson with an asylum for his    
family1 when there was no longer a home 
for them in ,small ,isles4 ,you are much
 in luck1 he said1 after our first      
greeting3 one of the villagers1 in      
improving his garden1 has just made a   
cut for some fifteen or twenty yards    
along the face of the precipice behind  
the village1 and laid open the line of  
junction between the conglomerate and   
the clay-slate4 ,let us go and see it4  
,i found several things worthy of notice
 in the chance section to which ,i was  
thus introduced4 ,the conglomerate lies 
uncomfortably along the edges of the    

slate strata1 which present under it an 
appearance exactly similar to that which
 they exhibit under the rolled stones   
and shingle of the neighboring shore1   
where we find them laid bare beside the 
harbor1 for several hundred yards4 ,and1
 mixed with the pebbles of various      
character and origin of which the       
conglomerate is mainly composed1 we see 
detached masses of the slate1 that still
 exhibit on their edges the identical   
lines of fracture characteristic of the 
rock1 which they received1 when torn    
from the mass below1 myriads of ages    
before4 ,in the incalculably remote     
period in which the conglomerate base of
 the ,old ,red ,sandstone was formed1   
the clay-slate of this district had been
 exactly the same sort of rock that it  
is now4 ,some long anterior convulsion  
had upturned its strata1 and the sweep  
of water1 mingled with broken fragments 
of stone1 had worn smooth the exposed   
edges1 just as a similar agency wears   
the edges exposed at the present time4  

,quarries might have been opened in this
 rock1 as now1 for a roofing-slate1 had 
there been quarriers to open them1 or   
houses to roof over2 it was in every    
respect as ancient a looking stone then 
as in the present late age of the world4
 ,there are no sermons that seem        
stranger or more impressive to one who  
has acquired just a little of the       
language in which they are preached1    
than those which1 according to the poet1
 are to be found in stones2 a bit of    
fractured slate1 embedded among a mass  
of rounded pebbles1 proves voluble with 
ideas of a kind almost too large for the
 mind of man to grasp4 ,the eternity    
that hath passed is an ocean without a  
further shore1 and a finite conception  
may in vain attempt to span it over4    
,but from the beach1 strewed with       
wrecks1 on which we stand to contemplate
 it1 we see far out towards the cloudy  
horizon1 many a dim islet and many a    
pinnacled rock1 the sepulchres of       
successive eras1--the monuments of      

consecutive creations3 the entire       
prospect is studded over with these     
landmarks of a hoar antiquity1 which1   
measuring out space from space1         
constitute the vast whole a province of 
time2 nor can the eye reach to the open1
 shoreless infinitude beyond1 in which  
only ,god existed2 and1 as in a         
sea-scene in nature1 in which headland  
stretches dim and blue beyond headland1 
and islet beyond islet1 the distance    
seems not lessened1 but increased1 by   
the crowded objects--we borrow a larger1
 not a smaller idea of the distant      
eternity1 from the vastness of the      
measured periods that occur between4    
,over the lower bed of conglomerate1    
which here1 as on the east coast1 is of 
great thickness1 we find a bed of gray  
stratified clay1 containing a few       
calcareo-argillaceous nodules4 ,the     
conglomerate cliffs to the north of the 
village present appearances highly      
interesting to the geologist4 ,rising in
 a long wall within the pleasure-grounds

 of ,dunolly castle1 we find them wooded
 atop and at the base2 while immediately
 at their feet there stretches out a    
grassy lawn1 traversed by the road from 
the village to the castle1 which sinks  
with a gradual slope into the existing  
sea-beach1 but which ages ago must have 
been a sea-beach itself4 ,we see the    
bases of the precipices hollowed and    
worn1 with all their rents and crevices 
widened into caves2 and mark1 at a      
picturesque angle of the rock1 what must
 have been once an insulated sea-stack1 
some thirty or forty feet in height1    
standing up from amid the rank grass1 as
 at one time it stood up from amid the  
waves4 ,tufts of fern and sprays of ivy 
bristle from its sides1 once roughened  
by the serrated kelp-weed and the       
tangle4 ,the ,highlanders call it       
,m',dougal's ,dog-stone1 and say that   
the old chieftains of ,lorne made use of
 it as a post to which to fasten their  
dogs1--animals wild and gigantic as     
themselves1--when the hunters were      

gathering to rendezvous1 and the        
impatient beagles struggled to break    
away and begin the chase on their own   
behalf4 ,it owes its existence as a     
stack--for the precipice in which it was
 once included has receded from around  
it for yards--to an immense boulder in  
its base--by far the largest stone ,i   
ever saw in an ,old ,red conglomerate4  
,the mass is of a rudely rhomboidal     
form1 and measures nearly twelve feet in
 the line of its largest diagonal4 ,a   
second huge pebble in the same detached 
spire measures four feet by about three4
 ,both have their edges much rounded1 as
 if1 ere their deposition in the        
conglomerate1 they had been long exposed
 to the wear of the sea2 and both are   
composed of an earthy amygdaloidal trap4
 ,i have stated elsewhere ,old ,red     
,sandstone1 ,chapter ,,xii41 that ,i had
 scarce ever seen a stone in the ,old   
,red conglomerate which ,i could not    
raise from the ground2 and ere ,i said  
so ,i had examined no inconsiderable    

extent of this deposit1 chiefly1        
however1 along the eastern coast of     
,scotland1 where its larger pebbles     
rarely exceed two hundred weight4 ,how  
account for the occurrence of pebbles of
 so gigantic a size here8 ,we can but   
guess at a solution1 and that very      
vaguely4 ,the islands of ,mull and      
,kerrera form1 in the present state of  
things1 inner and outer breakwaters     
between what is now the coast of ,oban  
and the waves of the ,atlantic2 but     
,mull1 in the times of even the ,oolite1
 must have existed as a mere sea-bottom2
 and ,kerrera1 composed mainly of trap1 
which has brought with it to the surface
 patches of the conglomerate1 must1 when
 the conglomerate was in forming1 have  
been a mere sea-bottom also4 ,is it not 
possible1 that when the breakwaters were
 not1 the ,atlantic was1 and that its   
tempests1 which in the present time can 
transport vast rocks for hundreds of    
yards along the exposed coasts of       
,shetland and ,orkney1 may have been the

 agent here in the transport of these   
huge pebbles of the ,old ,red           
conglomerate8 ,rocks that two or three  
men could not lift1 say the ,messrs4    
,anderson of ,inverness1 in describing  
the storms of ,orkney1 are washed about 
even on the tops of cliffs1 which are   
between sixty and a hundred feet above  
the surface of the sea1 when smooth2 and
 detached masses of rock1 of an enormous
 size1 are well known to have been      
carried a considerable distance between 
low and high-water mark4 ,a little way  
from the ,brough1 says ,dr4 ,patrick    
,neill1 in his ',tour through ,orkney   
and ,shetland1' we saw the prodigious   
effects of a late winter storm3 many    
great stones1 one of them of several    
tons weight1 had been tossed up a       
precipice twenty or thirty feet high1   
and laid fairly on the green sward4     
,there is something farther worthy of   
notice in the stone of which the two    
boulders of the ,dog-stack are composed4
 ,no species of rock occurs more        

abundantly in the embedded pebbles of   
this ancient conglomerate than rocks of 
the trap family4 ,we find in it         
trap-porphyries1 greenstones1           
clinkstones1 basalts1 and amygdalolds1  
largely mingled with fragments of the   
granitic1 clay-slate1 and quartz rocks4 
,the ,plutonic agencies must have been  
active in the locality for periods      
amazingly protracted2 and many of the   
masses protruded at a very early time   
seem identical in their composition with
 rocks of the trap family1 which in     
other parts of the country we find      
referred to much later eras4 ,there     
occur in this deposit rolled pebbles of 
a basalt1 which in the neighborhood of  
,edinburgh would be deemed considerably 
more modern than the times of the       
,mountain ,limestone1 and in the ,isle  
of ,skye1 considerably more modern than 
the times of the ,oolite4  ,the sunlight
 was showering its last slant rays on   
island and loch1 and then retreating    
upwards along the higher hills1 chased  

by the shadows1 as our boat quitted the 
bay of ,oban1 and stretched northwards1 
along the end of green ,lismore1 for the
 ,sound of ,mull4 ,we had just enough of
 day left1 as we reached mid sea1 to    
show us the gray fronts of the three    
ancient castles1--- which at this point 
may be at once seen from the            
deck1--,dunolly1 ,duart1 and            
,dunstaffnage2 and enough left us as we 
entered the ,sound1 to show1 and barely 
show1 the ,lady ,rock1 famous in        
tradition1 and made classic by the pen  
of ,campbell1 raising its black back    
amid the tides1 like a belated porpoise4
 ,and then twilight deepened into night1
 and we went snorting through the       
,strait with a stream of green light    
curling off from either bow in the calm1
 towards the high dim land1 that seemed 
standing up on both sides like tall     
hedges over a green lane4 ,we entered   
the ,bay of ,tobermory about midnight1  
and cast anchor amid a group of little  
vessels4 ,an exceedingly small boat shot

 out from the side of a yacht of rather 
diminutive proportions1 but tautly      
rigged for her size1 and bearing an     
outrigger astern4 ,the water this       
evening was full of phosphoric matter1  
and it gleamed and sparkled around the  
little boat like a northern aurora      
around a dark cloudlet4 ,there was just 
light enough to show that the oars were 
plied by a sailor-like man in a         
,guernsey frock1 and that another       
sailor-like man1--the skipper1          
mayhap1--attired in a cap and           
pea-jacket1 stood in the stern4 ,the man
 in the ,guernsey frock was ,john       
,stewart1 sole mate and half the crew of
 the ,free ,church yacht ,betsey2 and   
the skipper-like man in the pea-jacket  
was my friend the minister of the       
,protestants of ,small ,isles4 ,in five 
minutes more ,i was sitting with ,mr4   
,elder beside the little iron stove in  
the cabin of the ,betsey2 and the       
minister1 divested of his cap and       
jacket1 but still looking the veritable 

skipper to admiration1 was busied in    
making us a rather late tea4  ,the      
cabin1--my home for the greater part of 
the three following weeks1 and that of  
my friend for the greater part of the   
previous twelvemonth1--,i found to be an
 apartment about twice the size of a    
common bed1 and just lofty enough under 
the beams to permit a man of five feet  
eleven to stand erect in his night-cap4 
,a large table1 lashed to the floor1    
furnished with tiers of drawers of all  
sorts and sizes1 and bearing a writing  
desk bound to it a-top1 occupied the    
middle space1 leaving just room enough  
for a person to pass between its edges  
and the narrow coffin-like beds in the  
sides1 and space enough at its fore-end 
for two seats in front of the stove4 ,a 
jealously barred skylight opened above2 
and there depended from it this evening 
a close lantern-looking lamp1           
sufficiently valuable1 no doubt1 in foul
 weather1 but dreary and dim on the     
occasions when all one really wished    

from it was light4 ,the peculiar        
furniture of the place gave evidence to 
the mixed nature of my friend's         
employment4 ,a well-thumbed chart of the
 ,western ,islands lay across an equally
 well-thumbed volume of ,henry's        
,commentary4 ,there was a ,polyglot and 
a spy-glass in one corner1 and a copy of
 ,calvin's ,institutes1 with the latest 
edition of ,the ,coaster's ,sailing     
,directions1 in another2 while in an    
adjoining state-room1 nearly large      
enough to accommodate an arm-chair1 if  
the chair could have but contrived to   
get into it1 ,i caught a glimpse of my  
friend's printing press and his case of 
types1 canopied overhead by the blue    
ancient of the vessel1 bearing1 in      
stately six-inch letters of white       
bunting1 the legend1 ,,free ,,church    
,,yacht4 ,a door opened1 which          
communicated with the forecastle1 and   
,john ,stewart1 stooping very much1 to  
accommodate himself to the low-roofed   
passage1 thrust in a plate of fresh     

herrings1 splendidly toasted1 to give   
substantiality and relish to our tea4   
,the little rude forecastle1 a          
considerably smaller apartment than the 
cabin1 was all a-glow with the bright   
fire in the coppers1 itself invisible2  
we could see the chain-cable dangling   
from the hatchway to the floor1 and     
,john ,stewart's companion1 a           
powerful-looking1 handsome young man1   
with broad bare breast1 and in his      
shirt-sleeves1 squatted full in front of
 the blaze1 like the household goblin   
described by ,milton1 or the ,christmas 
,present of ,dickens4 ,mr4 ,elder left  
us for the steamer1 in which he         
prosecuted his voyage next morning to   
,skye2 and we tumbled in1 each to his   
narrow bed1--comfortable enough sort of 
resting places1 though not over soft2   
and slept so soundly1 that we failed to 
mark ,mr4 ,elder's return for a few     
seconds1 a little after daybreak4 ,i    
found at my bedside1 when ,i awoke1 a   
fragment of rock which he had brought   

from the shore1 charged with ,liasic    
fossils2 and a note he had written1 to  
say that the deposit to which it        
belonged occurred in the trap           
immediately above the village-mill2 and 
further1 to call my attention to a house
 near the middle of the village1 built  
of a mouldering red sandstone1 which had
 been found in situ in digging the      
foundations4 ,i had but little time for 
the work of exploration in ,mull1 and   
the information thus kindly rendered    
enabled me to economize it4  ,the       
village of ,tobermory resembles that of 
,oban4 ,a quiet bay has its secure      
island-breakwater in front2 a line of   
tall1 well-built houses1 not in the     
least rural in their aspect1 but that   
seem rather as if they had been         
transported from the centre of some     
stately city entire and at once1 sweeps 
round its inner inflection1 like a bent 
bow2 and an amphitheatre of mingled rock
 and wood rises behind4 ,with all its   
beauty1 however1 there hangs about the  

village an air of melancholy4 ,like some
 of the other western coast villages1 it
 seems not to have grown1 piece-meal1 as
 a village ought1 but to have been made 
wholesale1 as ,frankenstein made his    
man2 and to be ever asking1 and never   
more incessantly than when it is at its 
quietest1 why it should have been made  
at all8 ,the remains of the ,florida1 a 
gallant ,spanish ship1 lie off its      
shores1 a wreck of the ,invincible      
,armada1 deep whelmed1 according to     
,thompson1                              
,what time1  ,snatched sudden by the    
vengeful blast1  ,the scattered vessels 
drove1 and on blind shelve1  ,and       
pointed rock that marks th' indented    
shore1  ,relentless dashed1 where loud  
the northern main  ,howls through the   
fractured ,caledonian isles4            
,macculloch relates1 that there was an  
attempt made1 rather more than a century
 ago1 to weigh up the ,florida1 which   
ended in the weighing up of merely a few
 of her guns1 some of them of iron      

greatly corroded2 and that1 on scraping 
them1 they became so hot under the hand 
that they could not be touched1 but that
 they lost this curious property after a
 few hours' exposure to the air4 ,there 
have since been repeated instances      
elsewhere1 he adds1 of the same         
phenomenon1 and chemistry has lent its  
solution of the principles on which it  
occurs2 but1 in the year #agdj1 ere the 
riddle was read1 it must have been      
deemed a thoroughly magical one by the  
simple islanders of ,mull4 ,it would    
seem as if the guns1 heated in the      
contest with ,drake1 ,hawkins1 and      
,frobisher1 had again kindled1 under    
some supernatural influence1 with the   
intense glow of the lost battle4  ,the  
morning was showery2 but it cleared up a
 little after ten1 and we landed to     
explore4 ,we found the mill a little to 
the south of the village1 where a small 
stream descends1 all foam and uproar1   
from the higher grounds along a rocky   
channel half-hidden by brushwood2 and   

the ,liasic bed occurs in an exposed    
front directly over it1 coped by a thick
 bed of amygdaloidal trap4 ,the         
organisms are numerous2 and1 when we dig
 into the bank beyond the reach of the  
weathering influences1 we find them     
delicately preserved1 though after a    
fashion that renders difficult their    
safe removal4 ,originally the bed must  
have existed as a brown argillaceous    
mud1 somewhat resembling that which     
forms in the course of years1 under a   
scalp of muscles2 and it has hardened   
into a more silt-like clay1 in which the
 fossils occur1 not as petrifactions1   
but as shells in a state of decay1      
except in some rare cases1 in which a   
calcareous nodule has formed within or  
around them4 ,viewed in the group1 they 
seem of an intermediate character1      
between the shells of the ,lias and the 
,oolite4 ,one of the first fossils ,i   
disinterred was the ,gryphaea           
obliquata1--a shell characteristic of   
the ,liasic formation2 and the fossil   

immediately after1 the ,pholadomy       
aequalis1 a shell of the ,oolitic one4  
,there occurs in great numbers a species
 of small ,pecten1--some of the         
specimens scarce larger than a herring  
scale2 a minute ,ostrea1 a sulcated     
,terebratula1 an ,isocardia1 a          
,pullastra1 and groups of broken        
serpulae in vast abundance4 ,the deposit
 has also its three species of          
,ammonite1 existing as mere impressions 
in the clay2 and at least two species of
 ,belemnite1--one of the two somewhat   
resembling the ,belemnites abbreviatus1 
but smaller and rather more elongated3  
while the other1 of a spindle form1     
diminishing at both ends1 reminds one of
 the ,belemnites minimus of the ,gault4 
,the ,red ,sandstone in the centre of   
the village occurs detached1 like this  
,liasic bed1 amid the prevailing trap1  
and may be seen in situ beside the      
southern gable of the tall1 deserted    
looking house at the hill-foot1 that has
 been built of it4 ,it is a soft1       

coarse-grained1 mouldering stone1 ill   
fitted for the purposes of the          
architect2 and more nearly resembles the
 ,new ,red ,sandstone of ,england and   
,dumfriesshire1 than any other rock ,i  
have yet seen in the north of ,scotland4
 ,i failed to detect in it aught        
organic4  ,we weighed anchor about two  
o'clock1 and beat gallantly out the     
,sound1 in the face of an intermittent  
baffling wind and a heavy swell from the
 sea4 ,i would fain have approached     
nearer the precipices of ,ardnamurchan1 
to trace along their inaccessible fronts
 the strange reticulations of trap      
figured by ,macculloch2 but prudence and
 the skipper forbade our trusting even  
the docile little ,betsey1 on one of the
 most formidable lee shores in          
,scotland1 in winds so light and        
variable1 and with the swell so high4   
,we could hear the deep roar of the surf
 for miles1 and see its undulating strip
 of white flickering under stack and    
cliff4 ,the scenery here seems rich in  

legendary association4 ,at one tack we  
bore into ,bloody ,bay1 on the ,mull    
coast1--the scene of a naval battle     
between two island chiefs2 at another1  
we approached1 on the mainland1 a cave  
inaccessible save from the sea1 long the
 haunt of a ruthless ,highland pirate4  
,ere we rounded the headland of         
,ardnamurchan1 the slant light of       
evening was gleaming athwart the green  
acclivities of ,mull1 barring them with 
long horizontal lines of shadow1 where  
the trap terraces rise step beyond step1
 in the characteristic stair-like       
arrangement to which the rock owes its  
name2 and the sun set as we were bearing
 down in one long tack on the ,small    
,isles4 ,we passed the ,isle of ,muck1  
with its one low hill2 saw the pyramidal
 mountains of ,rum looming tall in the  
offing2 and then1 running along the     
,isle of ,eigg1 with its colossal ,scuir
 rising between us and the sky1 as if it
 were a piece of ,babylonian wall1 or of
 the great wall of ,china1 only vastly  

larger1 set down on the ridge of a      
mountain1 we entered the channel which  
separates the island from one of its    
dependencies1 ,eilean ,chaisteil1 and   
cast anchor in the tideway1 about fifty 
yards from the rocks4 ,we were now at   
home1--the only home which the          
proprietor of the island permits to the 
islanders' minister2 and1 after getting 
warm and comfortable over the stove and 
a cup of tea1 we did what all sensible  
men do in their own homes when the night
 wears late1--got into bed4             
,,chapter ,,ii4       ,the ,minister's  
,larder--,no ,harbor--,eigg             
,shoes--,tormentilla      erecta--,for  
the ,witness' ,sake--,eilean            
,chaisteil--,appearance of              
,eigg--,chapel of ,st4                  
,donan--,shell-sand--,origin of         
,secondary      ,calcareous ,rock       
suggested--,exploration of              
,eigg--,pitchstone ,veins--,a      ,bone
 ,cave--,massacre at ,eigg--,grouping of
 ,human ,bones in the                   

,cave--,relics--,the ,horse's ,tooth--,a
 ,copper ,sewing ,needle--,teeth        
found--,man a worse ,animal than his    
,teeth show him to have been            
designed for--,story of the             
,massacre--,another ,version--,scuir of 
,eigg--,the ,scuir a ,giant's           
,causeway--,character of the            
,columns--,remains of a ,prostrate      
,forest4   ,we had rich tea this        
morning4 ,the minister was among his    
people2 and our first evidence of the   
fact came in the agreeable form of three
 bottles of fine fresh cream from the   
shore4 ,then followed an ample baking of
 nice oaten cakes4 ,the material out of 
which the cakes were manufactured had   
been sent from the minister's store     
aboard1--for oatmeal in ,eigg is rather 
a scarce commodity in the middle of     
,july2 but they had borrowed a crispness
 and flavor from the island1 that the   
meal1 left to its own resources1 could  
scarcely have communicated2 and the     
golden-colored cylinder of fresh butter 

which accompanied them was all the      
island's own4 ,there was an ample supply
 of eggs too1 as one not quite a        
conjuror might have expected from a     
country bearing such a name1--eggs with 
the milk in them2 and1 with cream1      
butter1 oaten cakes1 eggs1 and tea1 all 
of the best1 and with sharp-set sea-air 
appetites to boot1 we fared sumptuously4
 ,there is properly no harbor in the    
island4 ,we lay in a narrow channel1    
through which1 twice every twenty-four  
hours1 the tides sweep powerfully in one
 direction1 and then as powerfully in   
the direction opposite2 and our anchors 
had a trick of getting foul1 and canting
 stock downwards in the loose sand1     
which1 with pointed rocks all around us1
 over which the current ran races1      
seemed a very shrewd sort of trick      
indeed4 ,but a kedge and halser1        
stretched thwartwise to a neighboring   
crag1 and jammed fast in a crevice1     
served in moderate weather to keep us   
tolerably right4 ,in the severer        

seasons1 however1 the kedge is found    
inadequate1 and the minister has to     
hoist sail and make out for the open    
sea1 as if served with a sudden summons 
of ejectment4  ,among the various things
 brought aboard this morning1 there was 
a pair of island shoes for the          
minister's cabin use1 that struck my    
fancy not a little4 ,they were all      
around of a deep madder red color1      
soles1 welts and uppers2 and1 though    
somewhat resembling in form the little  
yawl of the ,betsey1 were sewed not     
unskilfully with thongs2 and their      
peculiar style of tie seemed of a kind  
suited to furnish with new idea a       
fashionable shoemaker of the metropolis4
 ,they were altogether the production of
 ,eigg1 from the skin out of which they 
had been cut1 with the lime that had    
prepared it for the tan1 and the root by
 which the tan had been furnished1 down 
to the last on which they had been      
moulded1 and the artisan that had cast  
them off1 a pair of finished shoes4     

,there are few trees1 and1 of course1 no
 bark to spare1 in the island2 but the  
islanders find a substitute in the      
astringent lobiferous root of the       
,tormentilla erecta1 which they dig out 
for the purpose among the heath1 at no  
inconsiderable expense of time and      
trouble4 ,i was informed by ,john       
,stewart1 an adept in all the           
multifarious arts of the island1 from   
the tanning of leather and the tilling  
of land1 to the building of a house or  
the working of a ship1 that the infusion
 of root had to be thrice changed for   
every skin1 and that it took a man      
nearly a day to gather roots enough for 
a single infusion4 ,i was further       
informed that it was not unusual for the
 owner of a skin to give it to some     
neighbor to tan1 and that1 the process  
finished1 it was divided equally between
 them1 the time and trouble bestowed on 
it by the one being deemed equivalent to
 the property held in it by the other4  
,i wished to call a pair of these       

primitive-looking shoes my own1 and no  
sooner was the wish expressed1 than     
straightway one islander furnished me   
with leather1 and another set to work   
upon the shoes4 ,when ,i came to speak  
of remuneration1 however1 the islanders 
shook their heads4 ,no1 no1 not from the
 ,witness3 there are not many that take 
our part1 and the ,witness does4 ,i hold
 the shoes1 therefore1 as my first      
retainer1 determined1 on all occasions  
of just quarrel1 to make common cause   
with the poor islanders4  ,the view from
 the anchoring ground presents some very
 striking features4 ,between us and the 
sea lies ,eilean ,chaisteil1 a rocky    
trap islet1 about half a mile in length 
by a few hundred yards in breadth2 poor 
in pastures1 but peculiarly rich in     
sea-weed1 of which ,john ,stewart used1 
he informed me1 to make finer kelp1 ere 
the trade was put down by act of        
,parliament1 than could be made         
elsewhere in ,eigg4 ,this islet bore1 in
 the remote past1 its rude fort or dun1 

long since sunk into a few grassy       
mounds2 and hence its name4 ,on the     
landward side rises the island of ,eigg 
proper1 resembling in outline two       
wedges1 placed point to point on a      
board4 ,the centre is occupied by a deep
 angular gap1 from which the ground     
slopes upward on both sides1 till1      
attaining its extreme height at the     
opposite ends of the island1 it drops   
suddenly on the sea4 ,in the northern   
rising ground the wedge-like outline is 
complete2 in the southern one it is     
somewhat modified by the gigantic       
,scuir1 which rises direct on the apex  
of the height1 i4e41 the thick part of  
the wedge2 and which1 seen bows-on from 
this point of view1 resembles some vast 
donjon keep1 taller1 from base to       
summit1 by about a hundred feet1 than   
the dome of ,st4 ,paul's4 ,the upper    
slopes of the island are brown and      
moory1 and present little on which the  
eye may rest1 save a few trap terraces1 
with rudely columnar fronts2 its middle 

space is mottled with patches of green1 
and studded with dingy cottages1 each of
 which this morning1 just a little      
before the breakfast hour1 had its own  
blue cloudlet of smoke diffused around  
it2 while along the beach1 patches of   
level sand1 alternated with tracts of   
green bank1 or both1 give place to      
stately ranges of basaltic columns1 or  
dingy groups of detached rocks4         
,immediately in front of the central    
hollow1 as if skilfully introduced1 to  
relieve the tamest part of the prospect1
 a noble wall of semi-circular columns  
rises some eighty or a hundred feet over
 the shore2 and on a green slope1       
directly above1 we see the picturesque  
ruins of the ,chapel of ,st4 ,donan1 one
 of the disciples of ,columba1 and the  
,culdee saint and apostle of the island4
  ,one of the things that first struck  
me1 as ,i got on deck this morning1 was 
the extreme whiteness of the sand4 ,i   
could see it gleaming bright through the
 transparent green of the sea1 three    

fathoms below our keel1 and1 in a little
 flat bay directly opposite1 it         
presented almost the appearance of      
pulverized chalk4 ,a stronger contrast  
to the dingy trap-rocks around which it 
lies could scarce be produced1 had      
contrast for effect's sake been the     
object4 ,on landing on the exposed shelf
 to which we had fastened our halser1 ,i
 found the origin of the sand           
interestingly exhibited4 ,the hollows of
 the rock1 a rough trachyte1 with a     
surface like that of a steel rasp1 were 
filled with handfuls of broken shells   
thrown up by the surf from the sea-banks
 beyond3 fragments of echini1 bits of   
the valves of razor-fish1 the island    
cyprina1 mactridae1 buccinidae1 and     
fractured periwinkles1 lay heaped       
together in vast abundance4 ,in hollow  
after hollow1 as ,i passed shorewards1  
,i found the fragments more and more    
comminuted1 just as1 in passing along   
the successive vats of a paper-mill1 one
 finds the linen rags more and more     

disintegrated by the cylinders2 and     
immediately beyond the inner edge of the
 shelf1 which is of considerable extent1
 lies the flat bay1 the ultimate        
recipient of the whole1 filled to the   
depth of several feet1 and to the extent
 of several hundred yards1 with a pure  
shell-sand1 the greater part of which   
had been thus washed ashore in handfuls1
 and ground down by the blended agency  
of the trachyte and the surf4 ,once     
formed1 however1 in this way it began to
 receive accessions from the exuviae of 
animals that love such localities1--the 
deep arenaceous bed and soft sand-beach2
 and these now form no inconsiderable   
proportion of the entire mass4 ,i found 
the deposit thickly inhabited by        
spatangi1 razor-fish1 gapers1 and large1
 well-conditioned cockles1 which seemed 
to have no idea whatever that they were 
living amid the debris of a charnel     
house4 ,such has been the origin here of
 a bed of shell-sand1 consisting of many
 thousand tons1 and of which at least   

eighty per cent4 was once associated    
with animal life4 ,and such1 ,i doubt   
not1 is the history of many a calcareous
 rock in the later secondary formations4
 ,there are strata1 not a few1 of the   
,cretaceous and ,oolitic groups1 that   
would be found--could we but trace their
 beginnings with a certainty and        
clearness equal to that with which we   
can unravel the story of this           
deposit--to be1 like it1 elaborations   
from dead matter1 made through the      
agency of animal secretion4  ,we set out
 on our first exploratory ramble in     
,eigg an hour before noon4 ,the day was 
bracing and breezy1 and a clear sun     
looked cheerily down on island1 and     
strait1 and blue open sea4 ,we rowed    
southwards in our little boat1 through  
the channel of ,eilean ,chaisteil1 along
 the trap-rocks of the island1 and      
landed under the two pitchstone veins of
 ,eigg1 so generally known among        
mineralogists1 and of which specimens   
may be found in so many cabinets4 ,they 

occur in an earthy1 greenish-black      
amygdaloid1 which forms a range of      
sea-cliffs varying in height from thirty
 to fifty feet1 and that1 from their sad
 hue and dull fracture1 seem to absorb  
the light2 while the veins themselves1  
bright and glistening1 glitter in the   
sun1 as if they were streams of water   
traversing the face of the rock4 ,the   
first impression they imparted1 in      
viewing them from the boat1 was1 that   
the inclosing mass was a pitch caldron1 
rather of the roughest and largest1 and 
much begrimmed by soot1 that had cracked
 to the heat1 and that the fluid pitch  
was forcing its way outwards through the
 rents4 ,the veins expand and contract1 
here diminishing to a strip a few inches
 across1 there widening into a          
comparatively broad belt1 some two or   
three feet over2 and1 as well described 
by ,m',culloch1 we find the inclosed    
pitchstone changing in color1 and       
assuming a lighter or darker hue1 as it 
nears the edge or recedes from it4 ,in  

the centre it is of a dull olive green1 
passing gradually into blue1 which in   
turn deepens into black2 and it is      
exactly at the point of contact with the
 earthy amygdaloid that the black is    
most intense1 and the fracture of the   
stone glassiest and brightest4 ,i was   
lucky enough to detach a specimen1      
which1 though scarce four inches across1
 exhibits the three colors              
characteristic of the vein1--its bar of 
olive green on the one side1 of intense 
black on the other1 and of blue1 like   
that of imperfectly fused bottle-glass1 
in the centre4 ,this curious rock1--so  
nearly akin in composition and          
appearance to obsidian1--a mineral      
which1 in its dense form1 closely       
resembles the coarse dark-colored glass 
of which common bottles are made1 and   
which1 in its lighter form1 exists as   
pumice1--constitutes one of the links   
that connect the trap with the          
unequivocally volcanic rocks4 ,the one  
mineral may be seen beside smoking      

crater1 as in the ,lipari ,isles1       
passing into pumice2 while the other may
 be converted into a substance almost   
identical with pumice1 by the chemist4  
,it is stated by the ,honorable ,george 
,knox1 of ,dublin1 says ,mr4 ,robert    
,allan1 in his valuable mineralogical   
work1 that the pitchstone of ,newry1 on 
being exposed to a high temperature1    
loses its bitumen and water1 and is     
converted into a light substance in     
every respect resembling pumice4 ,but of
 pumice in connection with the          
pitchstones of ,eigg1 more anon4        
,leaving our boat to return to the      
,betsey at ,john ,stewart's leisure1 and
 taking with us his companion1 to assist
 us in carrying such specimens as we    
might procure1 we passed westwards for a
 few hundred yards under the crags1 and 
came abreast of a dark angular opening  
at the base of the precipice1 scarce two
 feet in height1 and in front of which  
there lies a little sluggish1 ankle-deep
 pool1 half mud1 half water1 and matted 

over with grass and rushes4 ,along the  
mural face of the rock of earthy        
amygdaloid there runs a nearly vertical 
line1 which in one of the stratified    
rocks one might perhaps term the line of
 a fault1 but which in a trap rock may  
merely indicate where two semi-molten   
masses had pressed against each other   
without uniting--just as currents of    
cooling lead1 poured by the plumber from
 the opposite end of a groove1 sometimes
 meet and press together1 so as to make 
a close1 polished joint1 without running
 into one piece4 ,the little angular    
opening forms the lower termination of  
the line1 which1 hollowing inwards1     
recedes near the bottom into a shallow  
cave1 roughened with tufts of fern and  
bunches of long silky grass1 here and   
there enlivened by the delicate flowers 
of the lesser rock-geranium4 ,a shower  
of drops patters from above among the   
weeds and rushes of the little pool4 ,my
 friend the minister stopped short4     
,there1 he said1 pointing to the hollow1

 you will find such a bone cave as you  
never saw before4 ,within that opening  
there lie the remains of an entire race1
 palpably destroyed1 as geologists in so
 many other cases are content merely to 
imagine1 by one great catastrophe4 ,that
 is the famous cave of ,frances 7,uamh  
,fraingh71 in which the whole people of 
,eigg were smoked to death by the       
,m',leods4  ,we struck a light1 and1    
worming ourselves through the narrow    
entrance1 gained the interior1--a true  
rock gallery1 vastly more roomy and     
lofty than one could have anticipated   
from the mean vestibule placed in front 
of it4 ,its extreme length we found to  
be two hundred and sixty feet2 its      
extreme breadth twenty-seven feet2 its  
height1 where the roof rises highest1   
from eighteen to twenty feet4 ,the cave 
seems to have owed its origin to two    
distinct causes4 ,the trap-rocks on each
 side of the vertical fault-like crevice
 which separates them are greatly       
decomposed1 as if by the moisture       

percolating from above2 and directly in 
the line of the crevice must the surf   
have charged1 wave after wave1 for ages 
ere the last upheaval of the land4 ,when
 the ,dog-stone at ,dunolly existed as a
 sea-stack1 skirted with algae1 the     
breakers on this shore must have dashed 
every tide through the narrow opening of
 the cavern1 and scooped out by handfuls
 the decomposing trap within4 ,the      
process of decomposition1 and consequent
 enlargement1 is still going on inside1 
but there is no longer an agent to sweep
 away the disintegrated fragments4      
,where the roof rises highest1 the floor
 is blocked up with accumulations of    
bulky decaying masses1 that have dropped
 from above2 and it is covered over its 
entire area by a stratum of earthy      
rubbish1 which has fallen from the sides
 and ceiling in such abundance1 that it 
covers up the straw beds of the perished
 islanders1 which still exist beneath as
 a brown mouldering felt1 to the depth  
of from five to eight inches4 ,never yet

 was tragedy enacted on a gloomier      
theatre4 ,an uncertain twilight glimmers
 gray at the entrance1 from the narrow  
vestibule2 but all within1 for full two 
hundred feet1 is black as with ,egyptian
 darkness4 ,as we passed onward with our
 one feeble light1 along the dark       
mouldering walls and roof1 which        
absorbed every straggling ray that      
reached them1 and over the dingy floor1 
ropy and damp1 the place called to      
recollection that hall in ,roman story1 
hung and carpeted with black1 into which
 ,domitian once thrust his senate1 in a 
frolic1 to read their own names on the  
coffin-lids placed against the wall4    
,the darkness seemed to press upon us   
from every side1 as if it were a dense  
jetty fluid1 out of which our light had 
scooped a pailful or two1 and that was  
rushing in to supply the vacuum2 and the
 only objects we saw distinctly visible 
were each other's heads and faces1 and  
the lighter parts of our dress4  ,the   
floor1 for about a hundred feet inwards 

from the narrow vestibule1 resembles    
that of a charnel-house4 ,at almost     
every step we came upon heaps of human  
bones grouped together1 as the ,psalmist
 so graphically describes1 as when one  
cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the      
earth4 ,they are of a brownish1 earthy  
hue1 here and there tinged with green2  
the skulls1 with the exception of a few 
broken fragments1 have disappeared2 for 
travellers in the ,hebrides have of late
 years been numerous and curious2 and   
many a museum1--that at ,abbotsford     
among the rest1--exhibits1 in a grinning
 skull1 its memorial of the ,massacre at
 ,eigg4 ,we find1 too1 further marks of 
visitors in the single bones separated  
from the heaps and scattered over the   
area2 but enough still remains to show1 
in the general disposition of the       
remains1 that the hapless islanders died
 under the walls in families1 each      
little group separated by a few feet    
from the others4 ,here and there the    
remains of a detached skeleton may be   

seen1 as if some robust islander1       
restless in his agony1 had stalked out  
into the middle space ere he fell2 but  
the social arrangement is the general   
one4 ,and beneath every heap we find1 at
 the depth1 as has been said1 of a few  
inches1 the remains of the straw-bed    
upon which the family had lain1 largely 
mixed with the smaller bones of the     
human frame1 ribs and vertebrae1 and    
hand and feet bones2 occasionally1 too1 
with fragments of unglazed pottery1 and 
various other implements of a rude      
housewifery4 ,the minister found for me1
 under one family heap1 the pieces of a 
half-burned1 unglazed earthen jar1 with 
a narrow mouth1 that1 like the          
sepulchral urns of our ancient tumuli1  
had been moulded by the hand1 without   
the assistance of the potter's wheel2   
and to one of the fragments there stuck 
a minute pellet of gray hair4 ,from     
under another heap he disinterred the   
handle-stave of a child's wooden        
porringer 7bicker71 perforated by a hole

 still bearing the mark of the cord that
 had hung it to the wall2 and beside the
 stave lay a few of the larger1 less    
destructible bones of the child1 with   
what for a time puzzled us both not a   
little1--one of the grinders of a horse4
 ,certain it was1 no horse could have   
got there to have dropped a tooth1--a   
foal of a week old could not have       
pressed itself through the opening2 and 
how the single grinder1 evidently no    
recent introduction into the cave1 could
 have got mixed up in the straw with the
 human bones1 seemed an enigma somewhat 
of the class to which the reel in the   
bottle belongs4 ,i found in ,edinburgh  
an unexpected commentator on the        
mystery1 in the person of my little     
boy1--an experimental philosopher in his
 second year4 ,i had spread out on the  
floor the curiosities of ,eigg1--among  
the rest1 the relics of the cave1       
including the pieces of earthern jar1   
and the fragment of the porringer2 but  
the horse's tooth seemed to be the only 

real curiosity among them in the eyes of
 little ,bill4 ,he laid instant hold of 
it2 and1 appropriating it as a toy1     
continued playing with it till he fell  
asleep4 ,i have now little doubt that it
 was first brought into the cave by the 
poor child amid whose mouldering remains
 ,mr4 ,swanson found it4 ,the little    
pellet of gray hair spoke of feeble old 
age involved in this wholesale massacre 
with the vigorous manhood of the island2
 and here was a story of unsuspecting   
infancy amusing itself on the eve of    
destruction with its toys4 ,alas1 for   
man6 ,should not ,i spare ,nineveh1 that
 great city1 said ,god to the angry     
prophet1 wherein are more than six score
 thousand persons that cannot discern   
between their right hand and their left8
 ,god's image must have been sadly      
defaced in the murderers of the poor    
inoffensive children of ,eigg1 ere they 
could have heard their feeble wailings1 
raised1 no doubt1 when the stifling     
atmosphere within began first to        

thicken1 and yet ruthlessly persist in  
their work of indiscriminate            
destruction4  ,various curious things   
have from time to time been picked up   
from under the bones4 ,an islander found
 among them1 shortly before our visit1 a
 sewing needle of copper1 little more   
than an inch in length2 fragments of    
,eigg shoes1 of the kind still made in  
the island1 are of comparatively common 
occurrence2 and ,mr4 ,james ,wilson     
relates1 in the singularly graphic and  
powerful description of ,uamh ,fraingh1 
which occurs in his ,voyage round the   
,coasts of ,scotland 7#ahda71 that a    
sailor1 when he was there1 disinterred1 
by turning up a flat stone1 a buck-tooth
 and a piece of money1--the latter a    
rusty copper coin1 apparently of the    
times of ,mary of ,scotland4 ,i also    
found a few teeth2 they were sticking   
fast in a fragment of jaw2 and1 taking  
it for granted1 as ,i suppose ,i may1   
that the dentology of the murderous     
,m',leods outside the cave must have    

very much resembled that of the murdered
 ,m',donalds within1 very harmless      
looking teeth they were for being those 
of an animal so maliciously mischievous 
as man4 ,i have found in the ,old ,red  
,sandstone the strong-based tusks of the
 semi-reptile ,holoptychius2 ,i have    
chiselled out of the limestone of the   
,coal ,measures the sharp1 dagger-like  
incisors of the ,megalichthys2 ,i have  
picked up in the ,lias and ,oolite the  
cruel spikes of the ,crocodile and the  
,ichthyosaurus2 ,i have seen the        
trenchant1 saw-edged teeth of gigantic  
,cestracions and ,squalidae that had    
been disinterred from the ,chalk and the
 ,london ,clay2 and ,i have felt1 as ,i 
examined them1 that there could be no   
possibility of mistake regarding the    
nature of the creatures to which they   
had belonged2--they were teeth made for 
hacking1 tearing1 mangling1--for        
amputating limbs at a bite1 and laying  
open bulky bodies with a crunch2 but ,i 
could find no such evidence in the human

 jaw1 with its three inoffensive looking
 grinders1 that the animal it had       
belonged to1--far more ruthless and     
cruel than reptile-fish1 crocodiles1 or 
sharks1--was of such a nature that it   
could destroy creatures of even its own 
kind by hundreds at a time1 when not in 
the least incited by hunger1 and with no
 ultimate intention of eating them4 ,man
 must surely have become an immensely   
worse animal than his teeth show him to 
have been designed for2 his teeth give  
no real evidence regarding his real     
character4 ,who1 for instance1 could    
gather from the dentology of the        
,m',leods the passage in their history  
to which the cave of ,frances bears     
evidence8  ,we quitted the cave1 with   
its stagnant damp atmosphere and its    
mouldy unwholesome smells1 to breathe   
the fresh sea-air on the beach without4 
,its story1 as recorded by ,sir ,walter 
in his ,tales of a ,grandfather1 and by 
,mr4 ,wilson1 in his ,voyage1 must be   
familiar to the reader2 and ,i learned  

from my friend1 versant in all the      
various island traditions regarding it1 
that the less ,i inquired into its      
history on the spot1 the more was ,i    
likely to feel satisfied that ,i knew   
something about it4 ,there seem to have 
been no chroniclers1 in this part of the
 ,hebrides1 in the rude age of the      
unglazed pipkin and the copper needle2  
and many years seem to have elapsed ere 
the story of their hapless possessors   
was committed to writing2 and so we find
 it existing in various and somewhat    
conflicting editions4 ,some hundred     
years ago1 says ,mr4 ,wilson1 a few of  
the ,m',leods landed in ,eigg from      
,skye1 where1 having greatly            
misconducted themselves1 the ,eiggites  
strapped them to their own boats1 which 
they sent adrift into the ocean4 ,they  
were1 however1 rescued by some clansmen2
 and1 soon after1 a strong body of the  
,m',leods set sail from ,skye1 to       
revenge themselves on ,eigg4 ,the       
natives of the latter island feeling    

they were not of sufficient force to    
offer resistance1 went and hid          
themselves 7men1 women1 and children7 in
 this secret cave1 which is narrow1 but 
of great subterranean length1 with an   
exceedingly small entrance4 ,it opens   
from the broken face of a steep bank    
along the shore2 and1 as the whole coast
 is cavernous1 their particular retreat 
would have been sought for in vain by   
strangers4 ,so the ,skye-men1 finding   
the island uninhabited1 presumed the    
natives had fled1 and satisfied their   
revengeful feelings by ransacking and   
pillaging the empty houses4 ,probably   
the movables were of no great value4    
,they then took their departure and left
 the island1 when the sight of a        
solitary human being among the cliffs   
awakened their suspicion1 and induced   
them to return4 ,unfortunately a slight 
sprinkling of snow had fallen1 and the  
footsteps of an individual were traced  
to the mouth of the cave4 ,not having   
been there ourselves at the period      

alluded to1 we cannot speak with        
certainty as to the nature of the parley
 which ensued1 or the terms offered by  
either party2 but we know that those    
were not the days of protocols4 ,the    
ultimatum was unsatisfactory to the     
,skye-men1 who immediately proceeded to 
'adjust the preliminaries' in their own 
way1 which adjustment consisted in      
carrying a vast collection of heather1  
ferns1 and other combustibles1 and      
making a huge fire just in the very     
entrance of the ,uamh ,fraingh1 which   
they kept up for a length of time2 and  
thus1 by 'one fell smoke1' they         
smothered the entire population of the  
island4  ,such is ,mr4 ,wilson's version
 of the story1 which1 in all its leading
 circumstances1 agrees with that of ,sir
 ,walter4 ,according1 however1 to at    
least one of the ,eigg versions1 it was 
the ,m',leod himself who had landed on  
the island1 driven there by a storm4    
,the islanders1 at feud with the        
,m',leod's at the time1 inhospitably    

rose upon him1 as he bivouacked on the  
shores of the ,bay of ,laig2 and in a   
fray1 in which his party had the worse1 
his back was broken1 and he was forced  
off half dead to sea4 ,several months   
after1 on his partial recovery1 he      
returned1 crook-backed and infirm1 to   
wreak his vengeance on the inhabitants1 
all of whom1 warned of his coming by the
 array of his galleys in the offing1 hid
 themselves in the cave1 in which1      
however1 they were ultimately           
betrayed--as narrated by ,sir ,walter   
and ,mr4 ,wilson--by the track of some  
footpaths in a sprinkling of snow2 and  
the implacable chieftain1 giving orders 
on the discovery1 to unroof the houses  
in the neighborhood1 raised high a pile 
of rafters against the opening1 and set 
it on fire4 ,and there he stood in front
 of the blaze1 hump-backed and grim1    
till the wild1 hollow cry from the rock 
within had sunk into silence1 and there 
lived not a single islander of ,eigg1   
man1 woman1 or child4 ,the fact that    

their remains should have been left to  
moulder in the cave is proof enough1 of 
itself1 that none survived to bury the  
dead4 ,i am inclined to believe1 from   
the appearance of the place1 that smoke 
could scarcely have been the real agent 
of destruction2 then1 as now1 it would  
have taken a great deal of pure smoke to
 smother a ,highlander4 ,it may be      
perhaps deemed more probable1 that the  
huge fire of rafter and roof-tree piled 
close against the opening1 and rising   
high over it1 would draw out the oxygen 
within as its proper food1 till at      
length all would be exhausted2 and life 
would go out for want of it1 like the   
flame of a candle under an upturned jar4
 ,sir ,walter refers the date of the    
event to some time about the close of   
the sixteenth century2 and the coin of  
,queen ,mary1 mentioned by ,mr4 ,wilson1
 points at a period at least not much   
earlier2 but the exact time of its      
occurrence is so uncertain1 that a      
,roman ,catholic priest of the          

,hebrides1 in lately showing his people 
what a very bad thing ,protestantism is1
 instanced1 as a specimen of its average
 morality1 the affair of the cave4 ,the 
,protestant ,m',leods of ,skye1 he said1
 full of hatred in their hearts1 had    
murdered1 wholesale1 their wretched     
brethren1 the ,protestant ,m',donalds of
 ,eigg1 and sent them off to perdition  
before their time4  ,quitting the beach1
 we ascended the breezy hill-side on our
 way to the ,scuir1--an object so often 
and so well described1 that it might be 
perhaps prudent1 instead of attempting  
one description more1 to present the    
reader with some of the already existing
 ones4 ,the ,scuir of ,eigg1 says       
,professor ,jamieson1 in his            
',mineralogy of the ,western ,islands1' 
is perfectly mural1 and extends for     
upwards of a mile and a half1 and rises 
to a height of several hundred feet4 ,it
 is entirely columnar1 and the columns  
rise in successive ranges1 until they   
reach the summit1 where1 from their     

great height1 they appear1 when viewed  
from below1 diminutive4 ,staffa is an   
object of the greatest beauty and       
regularity2 the pillars are as distinct 
as if they had been reared by the hand  
of art2 but it has not the extent or    
sublimity of the ,scuir of ,eigg4 ,the  
one may be compared with the greatest   
exertions of human power2 the other is  
characteristic of the wildest and most  
inimitable works of nature4 ,the height 
of this extraordinary object is         
considerable1 says ,m',culloch1 dashing 
off his sketch with a still bolder hand2
 yet its powerful effect arises rather  
from its peculiar form1 and the         
commanding elevation which it occupies1 
than from its positive altitude4 ,viewed
 in one direction1 it presents a long   
irregular wall1 crowning the summit of  
the highest hill1 while in the other it 
resembles a huge tower4 ,thus it forms  
no natural combination of outline with  
the surrounding land1 and hence acquires
 that independence in the general       

landscape which increases its apparent  
magnitude1 and produces that imposing   
effect which it displays4 ,from the     
peculiar position of the ,scuir1 it must
 also inevitably be viewed from a low   
station4 ,hence it everywhere towers    
high above the spectator2 while1 like   
other objects on the mountain outline1  
its apparent dimensions are magnified1  
and its dark mass defined on the sky1 so
 as to produce all the additional       
effects arising from strong oppositions 
of light and shadow4 ,the height of this
 rock is sufficient in this stormy      
country frequently to arrest the passage
 of the clouds1 so as to be further     
productive of the most brilliant effects
 in landscape4 ,often they may be seen  
hovering on its summit1 and adding ideal
 dimensions to the lofty face1 or1 when 
it is viewed on the extremity1 conveying
 the impression of a tower1 the height  
of which is such as to lie in the       
regions of the clouds4 ,occasionally    
they sweep along the base1 leaving its  

huge and black mass involved in         
additional gloom1 and resembling the    
castle of some ,arabian enchanter1 built
 on the clouds1 and suspended in air4   
,it might be perhaps deemed somewhat    
invidious to deal with pictures such as 
these in the style the connoisseur in   
the ,vicar of ,wakefield dealt with the 
old painting1 when1 seizing a brush1 he 
daubed it over with brown varnish1 and  
then asked the spectators whether he had
 not greatly improved the tone of the   
coloring4 ,and yet it is just possible1 
that in the case of at least            
,m',culloch's picture1 the brown varnish
 might do no manner of harm4 ,but a     
homelier sketch1 traced out on almost   
the same leading lines1 with just a     
little less of the aerial in it1 may    
have nearly the same subduing effect2 ,i
 have1 besides1 a few curious touches to
 lay in1 which seem hitherto to have    
escaped observation and the pencil2 and 
in these several circumstances must lie 
my apology for adding one sketch more to

 the sketches existing already4  ,the   
,scuir of ,eigg1 then1 is a veritable   
,giant's ,causeway1 like that on the    
coast of ,antrim1 taken and magnified   
rather more than twenty times in height1
 and some five or six times in breadth1 
and then placed on the ridge of a hill  
nearly nine hundred feet high4 ,viewed  
sideways1 it assumes1 as described by   
,m',culloch1 the form of a perpendicular
 but ruinous rampart1 much gapped above1
 that runs for about a mile and a       
quarter along the top of a lofty sloping
 talus4 ,viewed endways1 it resembles a 
tall massy tower1--such a tower as my   
friend1 ,mr4 ,d4,o4 ,hill1 would delight
 to draw1 and give delight by           
drawing1--a tower three hundred feet in 
breadth by four hundred and seventy feet
 in height1 perched on the apex of a    
pyramid1 like a statue on a pedestal4   
,this strange causeway is columnar from 
end to end2 but the columns1 from their 
great altitude and deficient breadth1   
seem mere rodded shafts in the ,gothic  

style2 they rather resemble bundles of  
rods than well-proportioned pillars4    
,few of them exceed eighteen inches in  
diameter1 and many of them fall short of
 half a foot2 but1 though lost in the   
general mass of the ,scuir as           
independent columns1 when we view it at 
an angle sufficiently large to take in  
its entire bulk1 they yet impart to it  
that graceful linear effect which we see
 brought out in tasteful pencil sketches
 and good line engravings4 ,we          
approached it this day from the shore in
 the direction in which the eminence it 
stands upon assumes the pyramidal form1 
and itself the tower-like outline4 ,the 
acclivity is barren and stony1--a true  
desert foreground1 like those of ,thebes
 and ,palmyra2 and the huge square      
shadow of the tower stretched dark and  
cold athwart it4 ,the sun shone out     
clearly4 ,one half the immense bulk     
before us1 with its delicate vertical   
lining1 lay from top to bottom in deep  
shade1 massive and gray2 one half       

presented its many-sided columns to the 
light1 here and there gleaming with     
tints of extreme brightness1 where the  
pitchstones presented their glassy      
planes to the sun2 its general outline1 
whether pencilled by the lighter or     
darker tints1 stood out sharp and clear2
 and a stratum of white fleecy clouds   
floated slowly amid the delicious blue  
behind it4 ,but the minuter details ,i  
must reserve for my next chapter4 ,one  
fact1 however1 anticipated just a little
 out of its order1 may heighten the     
interest of the reader4 ,there are      
massive buildings1--bridges of noble    
span1 and harbors that abut far into the
 waves1--founded on wooden piles2 and   
this hugest of hill-forts we find       
founded on wooden piles also4 ,it is    
built on what a ,scotch architect would 
perhaps term a pile-brander of the      
,pinites ,eiggensis1 an ancient tree of 
the ,oolite4 ,the gigantic ,scuir of    
,eigg rests on the remains of a         
prostrate forest4     ,,chapter ,,iii4  

,structure of the ,scuir--,a stray      
,column--,the ,piazza--,a buried ,pine  
,forest the ,foundation of the          
,scuir--,geological ,poachers in a      
,fossil      ,preserve--,pinites        
,eiggensis--,its ,description--,witham's
      ,experiments on ,fossil ,pine of  
,eigg--,rings of the ,pine--,ascent of  
the ,scuir--,appearance of the          
,top--,white ,pitchstone--,mr4 ,greig's 
,discovery of ,pumice--,a ,sunset       
,scene--,the ,manse and the ,yacht--,the
      ,minister's ,story--,a ,cottage   
,repast--,american ,timber drifted to   
the      ,hebrides--,agency of the ,gulf
 ,stream--,the ,minister's ,sheep4   ,as
 we climbed the hill-side1 and the      
,shinar-like tower before us rose higher
 over the horizon at each step we took1 
till it seemed pointing at the middle   
sky1 we could mark peculiarities in its 
structure which escape notice in the    
distance4 ,we found it composed of      
various beds1 each of which would make a
 ,giant's ,causeway entire1 piled over  

each other like stories in a building1  
and divided into columns1 vertical1 or  
nearly so1 in every instance except in  
one bed near the base1 in which the     
pillars incline to a side1 as if losing 
footing under the superincumbent weight4
 ,innumerable polygonal                 
fragments1--single stones of the        
building1--lie scattered over the slope1
 composed1 like almost all the rest of  
the ,scuir1 of a peculiar and very      
beautiful stone1 unlike any other in    
,scotland--a dark pitchstone-porphyry1  
which1 inclosing crystals of glassy     
feldspar1 resembles in the              
hand-specimen1 a mass of black          
sealing-wax1 with numerous pieces of    
white bugle stuck into it4 ,some of the 
detached polygons are of considerable   
size2 few of them larger and bulkier1   
however1 than a piece of column of this 
characteristic porphyry1 about ten feet 
in length by two feet in diameter1 which
 lies a full mile away from any of the  
others1 in the line of the old          

burying-ground1 and distant from it only
 a few hundred yards4 ,it seems to have 
been carried there by man3 we find its  
bearing from the ,scuir lying nearly at 
right angles with the direction of the  
drift-boulders of the western coast1    
which are1 besides1 of rare occurrence  
in the ,hebrides2 nor has it a single   
neighbor2 and it seems not improbable1  
as a tradition of the island testifies1 
that it was removed thus far for the    
purpose of marking some place of        
sepulture1 and that the catastrophe of  
the cave arrested its progress after by 
far the longer and rougher portion of   
the way had been passed4 ,the dry-arm   
bones of the charnel-house in the rock  
may have been tugging around it when the
 galleys of the ,m',leod hove in sight4 
,the traditional history of ,eigg1 said 
my friend the minister1 compared with   
that of some of the neighboring islands1
 presents a decapitated aspect3 the     
,m',leods cut it off by the neck4 ,most 
of the present inhabitants can tell     

which of their ancestors1 grandfather1  
or great-grandfather1 or                
great-great-grandfather1 first settled  
in the place1 and where they came from2 
and1 with the exception of a few vague  
legends about ,st4 ,donan and his grave1
 which were preserved apparently among  
the people of the other ,small ,isles1  
the island has no early traditional     
history4  ,we had now reached the       
,scuir4 ,there occur1 intercalated with 
the columnar beds1 a few bands of a     
buff-colored non-columnar trap1         
described by ,m',culloch as of a texture
 intermediate between a greenstone and a
 basalt1 and which1 while the pitchstone
 around it seems nearly indestructible1 
has weathered so freely as to form      
horizontal grooves along the face of the
 rock1 from two to five yards in depth4 
,one of these runs for several hundred  
feet along the base of the ,scuir1 just 
at the top of the talus1 and greatly    
resembles a piazza1 lacking the outer   
pillars4 ,it is from ten to twelve feet 

in height1 by from fifteen to twenty in 
depth2 the columns of the pitch         
stone-bed immediately above it seem     
perilously hanging in mid air2 and along
 their sides there trickles1 in even the
 driest summer weather1--for the ,scuir 
is a condenser on an immense            
scale--minute runnels of water1 that    
patter ceaselessly in front of the long 
deep hollow1 like rain from the eaves of
 a cottage during a thunder shower4     
,inside1 however1 all is dry1 and the   
floor is covered to the depth of several
 inches with the dung of sheep and      
cattle1 that find1 in this singular     
mountain piazza1 a place of shelter4 ,we
 had brought a pickaxe with us2 and the 
dry and dusty floor1 composed mainly of 
a gritty conglomerate1 formed the scene 
of our labors4 ,it is richly            
fossiliferous1 though the organisms have
 no specific variety2 and never1        
certainly1 have ,i found the remains of 
former creations in a scene in which    
they more powerfully addressed          

themselves to the imagination4 ,a       
stratum of peat-moss1 mixed with        
fresh-water shells1 and resting on a    
layer of vegetable mould1 from which the
 stumps and roots of trees still        
protruded1 was once found in ,italy1    
buried beneath an ancient tesselated    
pavement2 and the whole gave curious    
evidence of a kind fitted to picture to 
the imagination a background vista of   
antiquity1 all the more remotely ancient
 in aspect from the venerable age of the
 object in front4 ,dry ground covered by
 wood1 a lake1 a morass1 and then dry   
ground again1 had all taken precedence1 
on the site of the tesselated pavement1 
in this instance1 of an old ,roman      
villa4 ,but what was antiquity in       
connection with a ,roman villa1 to      
antiquity in connection with the ,scuir 
of ,eigg8 ,under the old foundations of 
this huge wall we find the remains of a 
pine forest1 that1 long ere a single bed
 of the porphyry had burst from beneath1
 had sprung up and decayed on hill and  

beside stream in some nameless          
land1--had then been swept to the       
sea1--had been entombed deep at the     
bottom in a grit of ,oolite1--had been  
heaved up to the surface1 and high over 
it1 by volcanic agencies working from   
beneath1--and had finally been built    
upon1 as moles are built upon piles1 by 
the architect that had laid down the    
masonry of the gigantic ,scuir1 in one  
fiery layer after another4 ,the mountain
 wall of ,eigg1 with its dizzy elevation
 of four hundred and seventy feet1 is a 
wall founded on piles of pine laid      
crossways2 and1 strange as the fact may 
seem1 one has but to dig into the floor 
of this deep-hewn piazza1 to be         
convinced that at least it is a fact4   
,just at this interesting stage1        
however1 our explorations bade fair to  
be interrupted4 ,our man who carried the
 pickaxe had lingered behind us for a   
few hundred yards1 in earnest           
conversation with an islander2 and he   
now came up1 breathless and in hot      

haste1 to say that the islander1 a      
,roman ,catholic tacksman in the        
neighborhood1 had peremptorily warned   
him that the ,scuir of ,eigg was the    
property of ,dr4 ,m',pherson of         
,aberdeen1 not ours1 and that the       
,doctor would be very angry at any man  
who meddled with it4 ,that message1 said
 my friend1 laughing1 but looking just a
 little sad through the laugh1 would    
scarce have been sent us when ,i was    
minister of the ,establishment here2 but
 it seems allowable in the case of a    
poor ,dissenter1 and is no bad specimen 
of the thousand little ways in which the
 ,roman ,catholic population of the     
island try to annoy me1 now that they   
see my back to the wall4 ,i was tickled 
with the idea of a fossil preserve1     
which coupled itself in my mind1 through
 a trick of the associative faculty1    
with the idea of a great fossil act for 
the ,british empire1 framed on the      
principles of the game-laws2 and1 just  
wondering what sort of disreputable     

vagabonds geological poachers would     
become under its deteriorating          
influence1 ,i laid hold of the pickaxe  
and broke into the stonefast floor2 and 
thence ,i succeeded in                  
abstracting1--feloniously1 ,i dare say1 
though the crime has not yet got into   
the statute-book--some six or eight     
pieces of the ,pinites ,eiggensis1      
amounting in all to about half a cubic  
foot of that very ancient wood--value   
unknown4 ,i trust1 should the case come 
to a serious bearing1 the members of the
 ,london ,geological ,society will      
generously subscribe half-a-crown       
a-piece to assist me in feeing counsel4 
,there are more interests than mine at  
stake in the affair4 ,if ,i be cast and 
committed1--,i1 who have poached over   
only a few miserable districts in       
,scotland1--pray1 what will become of   
some of them1--the ,lyells1 ,bucklands1 
,murchisons and ,sedgwicks1--who have   
poached over whole continents8  ,we were
 successful in procuring several good   

specimens of the ,eigg pine1 at a depth1
 in the conglomerate1 of from eight to  
eighteen inches4 ,some of the upper     
pieces we found in contact with the     
decomposing trap out of which the hollow
 piazza above had been scooped2 but the 
greater number1 as my set of specimens  
abundantly testify1 lay embedded in the 
original ,oolitic grit in which they had
 been locked up1 in1 ,i doubt not1 their
 present fossil state1 ere their        
upheaval1 through ,plutonic agency1 from
 their deep-sea bottom4 ,the annual     
rings of the wood1 which are quite as   
small as in a slow-growing ,baltic pine1
 are distinctly visible in all the      
better pieces ,i this day transferred to
 my bag4 ,in one fragment ,i reckon     
sixteen rings in half an inch1 and      
fifteen in the same space in another4   
,the trees to which they belonged seem  
to have grown on some exposed hill-side1
 where1 in the course of half a century1
 little more than from two or three     
inches were added to their diameter4    

,the ,pinites ,eiggensis1 or ,eigg pine1
 was first introduced to the notice of  
the scientific world by the late ,mr4   
,witham1 in whose interesting work on   
,the ,internal ,structure of ,fossil    
,vegetables the reader may find it      
figured and described4 ,the specimen in 
which he studied its peculiarities was  
found1 he says1 at the base of the      
magnificent mural escarpment named the  
,scuir of ,eigg1--not1 however1 in situ1
 but among fragments of rocks of the    
,oolitic series4 ,the authors of the    
,fossil ,flora1 where it is also        
figured1 describe it as differing very  
considerably in structure from any of   
the coniferae of the ,coal ,measures4   
,its medullary rays1 says ,messrs4      
,lindley and ,hutton1 appear to be more 
numerous1 and frequently are not        
continued through one zone of wood to   
another1 but more generally terminate at
 the concentric circles4 ,it abounds    
also in turpentine vessels1 or lacunae1 
of various sizes1 the sides of which are

 distinctly defined4 ,viewed through the
 microscope1 in transparent slips1      
longitudinal and transverse1 it         
presents1 within the space of a few     
lines1 objects fitted to fill the mind  
with wonder4 ,we find the minutest      
cells1 glands1 fibres1 of the original  
wood preserved uninjured4 ,there still  
are those medullary rays entire that    
communicated between the pith and the   
outside1--there still the ring of       
thickened cells that indicated the      
yearly check which the growth received  
when winter came on1--there the         
polygonal reticulations of the cross    
section1 without a single broken        
mesh1--there1 too1 the elongated cells  
in the longitudinal one1 each filled    
with minute glands that take the form of
 double circles1--there also1 of larger 
size and less regular form1 the lacunae 
in which the turpentine lay3 every      
nicely organized speck1 invisible to the
 naked eye1 we find in as perfect a     
state of keeping in the incalculably    

ancient pile-work on which the gigantic 
,scuir is founded1 as in the living     
pines that flourish green on our        
hill-sides4 ,a net-work1 compared with  
which that of the finest lace ever worn 
by the fair reader would seem a net-work
 of cable1 has preserved entire1 for    
untold ages1 the most delicate          
peculiarities of its pattern4 ,there is 
not a mesh broken1 nor a circular dot   
away6  ,the experiments of ,mr4 ,witham 
on the ,eigg fossil1 furnish an         
interesting example of the light which a
 single1 apparently simple1 discovery   
may throw on whole departments of fact4 
,he sliced his specimen longitudinally  
and across1 fastened the slices on      
glass1 ground them down till they became
 semi-transparent1 and then1 examining  
them under reflected light by the       
microscope1 marked and recorded the     
specific peculiarities of their         
structure4 ,and we now know1 in         
consequence1 that the ancient ,eigg     
pine1 to which the detached fragment    

picked up at the base of the ,scuir     
belonged1--a pine alike different from  
those of the earlier carboniferous      
period and those which exist            
contemporary with ourselves1--was1 some 
three creations ago1 an exceedingly     
common tree in the country now called   
,scotland1--as much so1 perhaps1 as the 
,scotch fir is at the present day4 ,the 
fossil trees found in such abundance in 
the neighborhood of ,helmsdale that they
 are burnt for lime1--the fossil wood of
 ,eathie1 in ,cromartyshire1 and that of
 ,shandwick1 in ,ross1--all belong to   
the ,pinites ,eiggensis4 ,it seems to   
have been a straight and stately tree1  
in most instances1 as in the ,eigg      
specimens1 of slow growth4 ,one of the  
trunks ,i saw near ,navidale measured   
two feet in diameter1 but a full century
 had passed ere it attained to a bulk so
 considerable2 and a splendid specimen  
in my collection1 from the same         
locality1 which measures twenty-one     
inches1 exhibits even more than a       

hundred annual rings4 ,in one of my     
specimens1 and one only1 the rings are  
of great breadth4 ,they differ from     
those of all the others in the          
proportion in which ,i have seen the    
annual rings of a young1 vigorous fir   
that had sprung up in some rich1 moist  
hollow1 differ from the annual rings of 
trees of the same species that had grown
 in the shallow1 hard soil of exposed   
hill-sides4 ,and this one specimen      
furnishes curious evidence that the     
often-marked but little understood law1 
which gives us our better and worse     
seasons in alternate groups1 various in 
number and uncertain in their time of   
recurrence1 obtained as early as the age
 of the ,oolite4 ,the rings follow each 
other in groups of lesser and larger    
breadth4 ,one group of four rings       
measures an inch and a quarter across1  
while an adjoining group of five rings  
measures only five-eighth parts2 and in 
a breadth of six inches there occur five
 of these alternate groups4 ,for some   

four or five years together1 when this  
pine was a living tree1 the springs were
 late and cold1 and the summers cloudy  
and chill1 as in that group of seasons  
which intervened between #ahce and      
#ahda2 and then1 for four or five years1
 more springs were early and summers    
genial1 as in the after group of #ahdb1 
#ahdc and #ahdd4 ,an arrangement in     
nature1--first observed1 as we learn    
from ,bacon1 by the people of the ,low  
,countries1 and which has since formed  
the basis of meteoric tables1 and of    
predictions and elaborate cycles of the 
weather1--bound together the            
twelvemonths of the ,oolitic period in  
alternate bundles of better and worse3  
vegetation throve vigorously during the 
summers of one group1 and languished1 in
 those of another1 in a state of partial
 development4  ,sending away our man    
shipwards1 laden with a bag of fossil   
wood1 we ascended by a steep broken     
ravine to the top of the ,scuir4 ,the   
columns1 as we pass on towards the west1

 diminish in size1 and assume in many of
 the beds considerable variety of       
direction and form4 ,in one bed they    
belly over with a curve1 like the ribs  
of some wrecked vessel from which the   
planking has been torn away2 in another 
they project in a straight line1 like   
muskets planted slantways on the ground 
to receive a charge of cavalry2 in      
others the inclination is inwards1 like 
that of ranges of stakes placed in front
 of a sea-dyke1 to break the violence of
 the waves2 while yet in others they    
present1 as in the eastern portion of   
the ,scuir1 the common vertical         
direction4 ,the ribbed appearance of    
every crag and cliff1 imparts to the    
scene a peculiar character2 every larger
 mass of light and shadow is corded with
 minute stripes2 and the feeling        
experienced among the more shattered    
peaks1 and in the more broken recesses1 
seems near akin to that which it is the 
tendency of some magnificent ruin to    
excite1 than that which awakens amid the

 sublime of nature4 ,we feel as if the  
pillared rocks around us were like the  
,cyclopean walls of ,southern           
,italy1--the erections of some old      
gigantic race passed from the earth     
forever4 ,the feeling must have been    
experienced on former occasions1 amid   
the innumerable pillars of the ,scuir2  
for we find ,m',culloch1 in his         
description1 ingeniously analyzing it4  
,the resemblance to architecture here is
 much increased1 he says1 by the        
columnar structure1 which is            
sufficiently distinguishable1 even from 
a distance1 and produces a strong effect
 of artificial regularity when seen near
 at hand4 ,to this vague association in 
the mind of the efforts of art with the 
magnitude of nature1 is owing much of   
that sublimity of character which the   
,scuir presents4 ,the sense of power is 
a fertile source of the sublime2 and as 
the appearance of power exerted1 no less
 than that of simplicity1 is necessary  
to confer this character on             

architecture1 so the mind1 insensibly   
transferring the operations of nature to
 the efforts of art where they          
approximate in character1 becomes       
impressed with a feeling rarely excited 
by her more ordinary forms1 where these 
are even more stupendous4  ,the top of  
the ,scuir1 more especially towards its 
eastern termination1 resembles that of  
some vast mole not yet levelled over by 
the workmen2 the pavement has not yet   
been laid down1 and there are deep gaps 
in the masonry1 that run transversely1  
from side to side1 still to fill up4    
,along one of these ditch-like gaps1    
which serves to insulate the eastern and
 highest portion of the ,scuir from all 
its other portions1 we find fragments of
 a rude wall of uncemented stones1 the  
remains of an ancient hill-fort2 which1 
with its natural rampart of rock on     
three of its four sides1 more than a    
hundred yards in sheer descent1 and with
 its deep ditch and rude wall on the    
fourth1 must have formed one of the most

 inaccessible in the kingdom4 ,the      
masses of pitchstone a-top1 though so   
intensely black within1 are weathered on
 the surface into almost a pure white2  
and we found lying detached among them1 
fragments of common amygdaloid and      
basalt1 and minute slaty pieces of      
chalcedony that had formed apparently in
 fissures of the trap4 ,we would have   
scrutinized more narrowly at the time   
had we expected to find anything more   
rare2 but ,i did not know until full    
four months after1 that aught more rare 
was to be found4 ,had we examined       
somewhat more carefully1 we might       
possibly have done what ,mr4 ,woronzow  
,greig did on the ,scuir about eighteen 
years previous1--picked up on it a piece
 of bona fide ,scotch pumice4 ,this     
gentleman1 well known through his       
exertions in statistical science1 and   
for his love of science in general1 and 
whose tastes and acquirements are not   
unworthy the son of ,mrs4 ,somerville1  
has kindly informed me by letter        

regarding his curious discovery4 ,i     
visited the island of ,eigg1 he says1 in
 #ahbe or #ahbf1 for the purpose of     
shooting1 and remained in it several    
days2 and as there was a great scarcity 
of game1 ,i amused myself in my         
wanderings by looking about for natural 
curiosities4 ,i knew little about       
,geology at the time1 but1 collecting   
whatever struck my eye as uncommon1 ,i  
picked up from the sides of the ,scuir1 
among various other things1 a bit of    
fossil wood1 and1 nearly at the summit  
of the eminence1 a piece of pumice of a 
deep brownish-black color1 and very     
porous1 the pores being large and round1
 and the substance which divided them of
 a uniform thickness4 ,this last        
specimen ,i gave to ,mr4 ,lyell1 who    
said that it could not originally have  
belonged to ,eigg1 though it might      
possibly have been washed there by the  
sea1--a suggestion1 however1 with which 
its place on the top of the ,scuir seems
 ill to accord4 ,i may add1 that ,i have

 since procured a larger specimen from  
the same place4 ,this seems a curious   
fact1 when we take into account the     
identity1 in their mineral components1  
of the pumice and obsidian of the recent
 volcanoes2 and that pitchstone1 the    
obsidian of the trap-rocks1 is          
resolvable into a pumice by the art of  
the chemist4 ,if pumice was to be found 
anywhere in ,scotland1 we might a priori
 expect to find it in connection with by
 far the largest mass of pitchstone in  
the kingdom4 ,it is just possible1      
however1 that ,mr4 ,greig's two         
specimens may not date farther back1 in 
at least their existing state1 than the 
days of the hill-fort4 ,powerful fires  
would have been required to render the  
exposed summit of the ,scuir at all     
comfortable2 there is a deep peat-moss  
in its immediate neighborhood1 that     
would have furnished the necessary fuel2
 the wind must have been sufficiently   
high on the summit to fan the embers    
into an intense white heat2 and if it   

was heat but half as intense as that    
which was employed in fusing into one   
mass the thick vitrified ramparts of    
,craig ,phadrig and ,knock ,farril1 on  
the east coast1 it could scarce have    
failed to anticipate the experiment of  
the ,hon4 ,mr4 ,knox1 of ,dublin1 by    
converting some of the numerous         
pitchstone fragments that lie scattered 
about1 into a light substance in every  
respect resembling pumice4  ,it was now 
evening1 and rarely have ,i witnessed a 
finer4 ,the sun had declined half-way   
adown the western sky1 and for many     
yards the shadow of the gigantic ,scuir 
lay dark beneath us along the descending
 slope4 ,all the rest of the island1    
spread out at our feet as in a map1 was 
basking in yellow sunshine2 and with its
 one dark shadow thrown from its one    
mountain-elevated wall of rock1 it      
seemed some immense fantastical dial1   
with its gnomon rising tall in the      
midst4 ,far below1 perched on the apex  
of the shadow1 and half lost in the line

 of the penumbra1 we could see two      
indistinct specks of black1 with a dim  
halo around each1--specks that elongated
 as we arose1 and contracted as we sat1 
and went gliding along the line as we   
walked4 ,the shadows of two gnats       
disporting on the edge of an ordinary   
gnomon would have seemed vastly more    
important1 in proportion1 on the figured
 plane of the dial1 than these1 our     
ghostly representatives1 did here4 ,the 
sea1 spangled in the wake of the sun    
with quick glancing light1 stretched out
 its blue plain around us2 and we could 
see included in the wide prospect1 on   
the one hand1 at once the hill-chains of
 ,morven and ,kintail1 with the many    
intervening lochs and bold jutting      
headlands that give variety to the      
mainland2 and1 on the other1 the        
variously complexioned ,hebrides1 from  
the ,isle of ,skye to ,uist and ,barra1 
and from ,uist and ,barra to ,tiree and 
,mull4 ,the contiguous ,small ,isles1   
,muck and ,rum1 lay moored immediately  

beside us1 like vessels of the same     
convoy that in some secure roadstead    
drop anchor within hail of each other4  
,i could willingly have lingered on the 
top of the ,scuir until after sunset2   
but the minister1 who1 ever and anon1   
during the day1 had been conning over   
some notes jotted on a paper of         
wonderfully scant dimensions1 reminded  
me that this was the evening of his     
week-day discourse1 and that we were    
more than a particularly rough mile from
 the place of meeting1 and within1 half 
an hour of the time4 ,i took one last   
look of the scene ere we commenced our  
descent4 ,there1 in the middle of the   
ample parish glebe1 that looked richer  
and greener in the light of the         
declining sun than at any former period 
during the day1--rose the snug parish   
manse2 and yonder1--in an open island   
channel1 with a strip of dark rocks     
fringing the land within1 and another   
dark strip fringing the barren ,eilean  
,chaisteil outside1--lay the ,betsey1   

looking wonderfully diminutive1 but     
evidently a little thing of high spirit1
 taut-masted1 with a smart rake aft1 and
 a spruce outrigger astern1 and         
flaunting her triangular flag of blue in
 the sun4 ,i pointed first to the manse1
 and then to the yacht4 ,the minister   
shook his head4  ',tis a time of strange
 changes1 he said2 ,i thought to have   
lived and died in that house1 and found 
a quiet grave in the burying-ground     
yonder beside the ruin2 but my path was 
a clear though a rugged one2 and from   
almost the moment that it opened up to  
me1 ,i saw what ,i had to expect4 ,it   
has been said that ,i might have lain by
 here in this out-of-the-way corner1 and
 suffered the ,church question to run   
its course1 without quitting my hold of 
the ,establishment4 ,and so ,i perhaps  
might4 ,it is easy securing one's own   
safety1 in even the worst of times1 if  
one look no higher2 and ,i1 as ,i had no
 opportunity of mixing in the contest1  
or of declaring my views respecting it1 

might be regarded as an unpledged man4  
,but the principles of the ,evangelical 
party were my principles2 and it would  
have been consistent with neither honor 
nor religion to have hung back in the   
day of battle1 and suffered the men with
 whom in heart ,i was at one to pay the 
whole forfeit of our common quarrel4 ,so
 ,i attended the ,convocation1 and      
pledged myself to stand or fall with my 
brethren4 ,on my return ,i called my    
people together1 and told them how the  
case stood1 and that in ,may next ,i    
bade fair to be a dependent for a home  
on the proprietor of ,eigg4 ,and so they
 petitioned the proprietor that he might
 give me leave to build a house among   
them1--exactly the same sort of favor   
granted to the ,roman ,catholics of the 
island4 ,but month after month passed1  
and they got no reply to their petition2
 and ,i was left in suspense1 not       
knowing whether ,i was to have a home   
among them or no4 ,i did feel the case a
 somewhat hard one4 ,the father of ,dr4 

,m',pherson of ,eigg had been1 like     
myself1 a humble ,scotch minister2 and  
the ,doctor1 however indifferent to his 
people's wishes in such a matter1 might 
have just thought that a man in his     
father's station in life1 with a wife   
and family dependent on him1 was placed 
by his silence in cruel circumstances of
 uncertainty4 ,ere the ,disruption took 
place1 however1 ,i came to know pretty  
conclusively what ,i had to expect4 ,the
 ,doctor's factor came to ,eigg1 and1 as
 ,i was informed1 told the ,islanders   
that it was not likely the ,doctor would
 permit a third place of worship on the 
,island3 the ,roman ,catholics had one1 
and the ,establishment had a kind of    
one1 and there was to be no more4 ,the  
factor1 an active messenger-at-arms1    
useful in raising rents in these parts1 
has always been understood to speak the 
mind of his master2 but the congregation
 took heart in the emergency1 and sent  
off a second petition to ,dr4           
,m',pherson1 a week or so previous to   

the ,disruption4 ,ere it received an    
answer1 the ,disruption took place2 and1
 laying the whole circumstances before  
my brethren in ,edinburgh1 who1 like    
myself1 interpreted the silence of the  
,doctor into a refusal1 ,i suggested to 
them the scheme of the ,betsey1 as the  
only scheme through which ,i could keep 
up unbroken my connection with my       
people4 ,so the trial is now over1 and  
here we are1 and yonder is the ,betsey4 
,we descended the ,scuir together for   
the place of meeting1 and entered1 by   
the way1 the cottage of a worthy        
islander1 much attached to his minister4
 ,we are both very hungry1 said my      
friend3 we have been out among the rocks
 since breakfast-time1 and are          
wonderfully disposed to eat4 ,do not put
 yourself about1 but give us anything   
you have at hand4 ,there was a bowl of  
rich milk brought us1 and a splendid    
platter of mashed potatoes1 and we dined
 like princes4 ,i observed1 for the     
first time1 in the interior of this     

cottage1 what ,i had frequent occasion  
to remark afterwards1 that much of the  
wood used in building in the smaller and
 outer islands of the ,hebrides must    
have drifted across the ,atlantic1 borne
 eastwards and northwards by the great  
,gulf-stream4 ,many of the beams and    
boards1 sorely drilled by the ,teredo   
navalis1 are of ,american timber1 that1 
from time to time1 has been cast upon   
the shore1--a portion of it1 apparently1
 from timber-laden vessels unfortunate  
in their voyage1 but a portion of it1   
also1 with root and branch still        
attached1 bearing mark of having been   
swept to the sea by transatlantic       
rivers4 ,nuts and seeds of tropical     
plants are occasionally picked up on the
 beach4 ,my friend gave me a bean or nut
 of the ,dolichos urens1 or cow-itch    
shrub1 of the ,west ,indies1 which an   
islander had found on the shore sometime
 in the previous year1 and given to one 
of the manse children as a toy2 and ,i  
attach some little interest to it1 as a 

curiosity of the same class with the    
large canes and the fragment of carved  
wood found floating near the shores of  
,madeira by the brother-in-law of       
,columbus1 and which1 among other pieces
 of circumstantial evidence1 led the    
great navigator to infer the existence  
of a western continent4 ,curiosities of 
this kind seem still more common in the 
northern than in the western islands of 
,scotland4 ,large exotic nuts or seeds1 
says ,dr4 ,patrick ,neill1 in his       
interesting ,tour1 quoted in a former   
chapter1 which in ,orkney are known by  
the name of ,molucca beans1 are         
occasionally found among the            
rejectamenta of the sea1 especially     
after westerly winds4 ,there are two    
kinds commonly found3 the larger 7of    
which the fishermen very generally make 
snuff-boxes7 seem to be seeds from the  
great pod of the ,mimosa scandens of the
 ,west ,indies2 the smaller seeds1 from 
the pod of the ,dolichos urens1 also a  
native of the same region4 ,it is       

probable that the currents of the ocean1
 and particularly that great current    
which issues from the ,gulf of ,florida1
 and is hence denominated the ,gulf     
,stream1 aid very much in transporting  
across the mighty ,atlantic these       
,american products4 ,they are generally 
quite fresh and entire1 and afford an   
additional proof how impervious to      
moisture1 and how imperishable1 nuts and
 seeds generally are4  ,the evening was 
fast falling ere the minister closed his
 discourse2 and we had but just light   
enough left1 on reaching the ,betsey1 to
 show us that there lay a dead sheep on 
the deck4 ,it had been sent aboard to be
 killed by the minister's factotum1     
,john ,stewart2 but ,john was at the    
evening preaching at the time1 and the  
poor sheep1 in its attempts to set      
itself free1 had got itself entangled   
among the cords1 and strangled itself4  
,alas1 alas6 exclaimed the minister1    
thus ends our hope of fresh mutton for  
the present1 and my hapless speculation 

as a sheep farmer for evermore4 ,i      
learned from him1 afterwards1 over our  
tea1 that shortly previous to the       
,convocation he had got his glebe1--one 
of the largest in ,scotland1--well      
stocked with sheep and cattle1 which he 
had to sell1 immediately on the         
,disruption1 in miserably bad condition1
 at a loss of nearly fifty per cent4 ,he
 had a few sheep1 however1 that would   
not sell at all1 and that remained on   
the glebe1 in consequence1 until his    
successor entered into possession4 ,and 
he1 honest man1 straightway impounded   
them1 and got them incarcerated in a    
dark1 dirty hole1 somewhat in the way   
,giant ,despair incarcerated the        
pilgrims1--a thing he had quite a legal 
right to do1 seeing that the mile-long  
glebe1 with its many acres of luxuriant 
pasture1 was now as much his property as
 it had been ,mr4 ,swanson's a few      
months before1 and seeing ,mr4          
,swanson's few sheep had no right to    
crop his grass4 ,but a worthy neighbor  

interfered1--,mr4 ,m',donald1 of ,keil1 
the principal tenant in the island4 ,mr4
 ,m',donald1--a practical commentator on
 the law of kindness1--was sorely       
scandalized at what he deemed the new   
minister's gratuitous unkindness to a   
brother in calamity2 and1 relieving the 
sheep1 he brought them to his own farm1 
where he found them board and lodging on
 my friend's behalf1 till they could be 
used up at leisure4 ,and it was one of  
the last of this unfortunate lot that   
now contrived to escape from us by      
anticipating ,john ,stewart4 ,a black   
beginning makes a black ending1 said    
,gouffing ,jock1 an ancient border      
shepherd1 when his only sheep1 a black  
ewe1 the sole survivor of a flock       
smothered in a snow-storm1 was worried  
to death by his dogs4 ,then1 taking down
 his broadsword1 he added1 ,come awa1 my
 auld friend2 thou and ,i maun e'en     
stock ,bowerhope-,law ance mair6 ,less  
warlike than ,gouffing ,jock1 we were   
content to repeat over the dead1 on this

 occasion1 simply the first portion of  
his speech2 and then1 betaking ourselves
 to our cabin1 we forgot all our sorrows
 over our tea4     ,,chapter ,,iv4      
,an ,excursion--,the ,chain of          
,crosses--,bay of ,laig--,island of     
,rum--,description of the               
,island--,superstitions banished by pure
      ,religion--,fossil                
,shells--,remarkable ,oyster ,bed--,new 
species of      ,belemnite--,oolitic    
,shells--,white ,sandstone              
,precipices--,gigantic      ,petrified  
,mushrooms--,christabel in              
,stone--,musical ,sand--,jabel          
,nakous1 or ,mountain of the            
,bell--,experiments of ,travellers at   
,jabel ,nakous--,welsted's              
,account--,reg-,rawan1 or the ,moving   
,sand--,the ,musical ,sounds            
inexplicable--,article on the subject in
      the ,north ,british ,review4      
,there had been rain during the night2  
and when ,i first got on deck1 a little 
after seven1 a low stratum of mist1 that

 completely enveloped the ,scuir1 and   
truncated both the eminence on which it 
stands and the opposite height1         
stretched like a ruler across the flat  
valley which indents so deeply the      
middle of the island4 ,but the fogs     
melted away as the morning rose1 and ere
 our breakfast was satisfactorily       
discussed1 the last thin wreath had     
disappeared from around the columned    
front of the rock-tower of ,eigg1 and a 
powerful sun looked down on moist slopes
 and dank hollows1 from which there     
arose in the calm a hazy vapor1 that1   
while it softened the lower features of 
the landscape1 left the bold outline    
relieved against a clear sky4           
,accompanied by our attendant of the    
previous day1 bearing bag and hammer1 we
 set out a little before eleven for the 
north-western side of the island1 by a  
road which winds along the central      
hollow4 ,my friend showed me as we went1
 that on the edge of an eminence1 on    
which the traveller journeying westwards

 catches the last glimpse of the chapel 
of ,st4 ,donan1 there had once been a   
rude cross erected1 and another rude    
cross on an eminence on which he catches
 the last glimpse of the first2 and that
 there had thus been a chain of stations
 formed from sea to sea1 like the sights
 of a land-surveyor1 from one of which a
 second could be seen1 and a third from 
the second1 till1 last of all1 the      
emphatically holy point of the          
island1--the burial-place of the old    
,culdee1--came full in view4 ,the       
unsteady devotion1 that journeyed1      
fancy-bound1 along the heights1 to gloat
 over a dead man's bones1 had its clue  
to carry it on in a straight line4 ,its 
trail was on the ground2 it glided      
snake-like from cross to cross1 in quest
 of dust2 and1 without its finger-posts 
to guide it1 would have wandered        
devious4 ,it is surely a better devotion
 that1 instead of thus creeping over the
 earth to a mouldy sepulchre1 can at    
once launch into the sky1 secure of     

finding ,him who once arose from one4   
,in less than an hour we were descending
 on the ,bay of ,laig1 a semi-circular  
indentation of the coast1 about a mile  
in length1 and1 where it opens to the   
main sea1 nearly two miles in breadth2  
with the noble island of ,rum rising    
high in front1 like some vast           
breakwater2 and a meniscus of           
comparatively level land1 walled in     
behind by a semi-circular rampart of    
continuous precipice1 sweeping round its
 shores4 ,there are few finer scenes in 
the ,hebrides than that furnished by    
this island bay and its picturesque     
accompaniments1--none that break more   
unexpectedly on the traveller who       
descends upon it from the east2 and     
rarely has it been seen1 to greater     
advantage than on the delicate day1 so  
soft1 and yet so sunshiny and clear1 on 
which ,i paid it my first visit4  ,the  
island of ,rum1 with its abrupt sea-wall
 of rock1 and its steep-pointed hills1  
that attain1 immediately over the sea1  

an elevation of more than two thousand  
feet1 loomed bold and high in the       
offing1 some five miles away1 but       
apparently much nearer4 ,the four tall  
summits of the island rose clear against
 the sky like a group of pyramids2 its  
lower slopes and precipices1 variegated 
and relieved by graceful alternations of
 light and shadow1 and resting on their 
blue basement of sea1 stood out with    
equal distinctness2 but the entire      
middle space from end to end was hidden 
in a long horizontal stratum of gray    
cloud1 edged atop with a lacing of      
silver4 ,such was the aspect of the     
noble breakwater in front4 ,fully       
two-thirds of the semi-circular rampart 
of rock which shuts in the              
crescent-shaped plain directly opposite 
lay in deep shadow2 but the sun shone   
softly on the plain itself1 brightening 
up many a dingy cottage1 and many a     
green patch of corn2 and the bay below  
stretched out1 sparkling in the light4  
,there is no part of the island so      

thickly inhabited as this flat meniscus4
 ,it is composed almost entirely of     
,oolitic rocks1 and bears atop1         
especially where an ancient oyster-bed  
of great depth forms the subsoil1 a     
kindly and fertile mould4 ,the cottages 
lie in groups2 and1 save where a few    
bogs1 which it would be no very         
difficult matter to drain1 interpose    
their rough shag of dark green1 and     
break the continuity1 the plain around  
them waves with corn4 ,lying fair1 green
 and populous within the sweep of its   
inaccessible rampart of rock1 at least  
twice as lofty as the ramparts of       
,babylon of old1 it reminds one of the  
suburbs of some ancient city lying      
embosomed1 with all its dwellings and   
fields1 within some roomy crescent of   
the city wall4 ,we passed1 ere we       
entered on the level1 a steep-sided     
narrow dell1 through which a small      
stream finds its way from the higher    
grounds1 and which terminates at the    
upper end in an abrupt precipice1 and a 

lofty but very slim cascade4 ,one of the
 few superstitions that still linger on 
the island1 said my friend the minister1
 is associated with that wild hollow4   
,it is believed that shortly before a   
death takes place among the inhabitants1
 a tall withered female may be seen in  
the twilight1 just yonder where the     
rocks open1 washing a shroud in the     
stream4 ,john1 there1 will perhaps tell 
you how she was spoken to on one        
occasion1 by an over-bold1              
over-inquisitive islander1 curious to   
know whose shroud she was preparing2 and
 how she more than satisfied his        
curiosity1 by telling him it was his    
own4 ,it is a not uninteresting fact1   
added the minister1 that my poor people1
 since they have become more earnest    
about their religion1 think very little 
about ghosts and spectres3 their faith  
in the realities of the unseen world    
seems to have banished from their minds 
much of their old belief in its         
phantoms4  ,in the rude fences that     

separate from each other the little     
farms in this plain1 we find frequent   
fragments of the oyster bed1 hardened   
into a tolerably compact limestone4 ,it 
is seen to most advantage1 however1 in  
some of the deeper cuttings in the      
fields1 where the surrounding matrix    
exists merely as an incoherent shale2   
and the shells may be picked out as     
entire as when they lay1 ages before1 in
 the mud1 which we still see retaining  
around them its original color4 ,they   
are small1 thin1 triangular1 much       
resembling in form some specimens of the
 ,ostrea deltoidea1 but greatly less in 
size4 ,the nearest resembling shell in  
,sowerby is the ,ostrea acuminata1--an  
oyster of the clay that underlies the   
great ,oolite of ,bath4 ,few of the     
shells exceed an inch and a half in     
length1 and the majority fall short of  
an inch4 ,what they lack in bulk1       
however1 they make up in number4 ,they  
are massed as thickly together1 to the  
depth of several feet1 as shells on the 

heap at the door of a ,newhaven         
fisherman1 and extend over many acres4  
,where they lie open we can still detect
 the triangular disc of the hinge1 with 
the single impression of the abductor   
muscle2 and the foliaceous character of 
the shell remains in most instances as  
distinct as if it had undergone no      
mineral change4 ,i have seen nowhere in 
,scotland1 among the secondary          
formations1 so unequivocal an           
oyster-bed2 nor do such beds seem to be 
at all common in formations older than  
the ,tertiary in ,england1 though the   
oyster itself is sufficiently so4 ,we   
find ,mantell stating1 in his recent    
work 7,medals of ,creation71 after first
 describing an immense oyster bed of the
 ,london ,basin1 that underlies the city
 7for what is now ,london was once an   
oyster-bed71 that in the chalk below1   
though it contains several species of   
,ostrea1 the shells are diffused        
promiscuously throughout the general    
mass4 ,leaving1 however1 these oysters  

of the ,oolite1 which never net inclosed
 nor drag disturbed1 though they must   
have formed the food of many an extinct 
order of fish1--mayhap reptile1--we pass
 on in a south-western direction1       
descending in the geological scale as we
 go1 until we reach the southern side of
 the ,bay of ,laig4 ,and there1 far     
below tide-mark1 we find a dark-colored 
argillaceous shale of the ,lias1 greatly
 obscured by boulders of trap1--the only
 deposit of the ,liasic formation in the
 island4  ,a line of trap-hills that    
rises along the shore seems as if it had
 strewed half its materials over the    
beach4 ,the rugged blocks lie thick as  
stones in a causeway1 down to the line  
of low ebb1--memorials of a time when   
the surf dashed against the shattered   
bases of the trap-hills1 now elevated   
considerably beyond its reach2 and we   
can catch but partial glimpses of the   
shale below4 ,wherever access to it can 
be had1 we find it richly fossiliferous2
 but its organisms1 with the exception  

of its ,belemnites1 are very imperfectly
 preserved4 ,i dug up from under the    
trap-blocks some of the common ,liasic  
,ammonites of the north-eastern coast of
 ,scotland1 a few of the septa of a     
large ,nautilus1 broken pieces of wood1 
and half-effaced casts of what seems a  
branched coral2 but only minute portions
 of the shells have been converted into 
stone2 here and there a few chambers in 
the whorls of an ,ammonite or ,nautilus1
 though the outline of the entire       
organism lies impressed in the shale2   
and the ligneous and polyparious fossils
 we find in a still greater state of    
decay4 ,the ,belemnite alone1 as is     
common with this robust fossil1--so     
often the sole survivor of its many     
contemporaries1--has preserved its      
structure entire4 ,i disinterred from   
the shale good specimens of the         
,belemnite sulcatus and ,belemnite      
elongatus1 and found1 detached on the   
surface of the bed1 a fragment of a     
singularly large ,belemnite1 a full inch

 and a quarter in diameter1 the species 
of which ,i could not determine4        
,returning by the track we came1 we     
reach the bottom of the bay1 which we   
find much obscured with sand and        
shingle2 and pass northwards along its  
side1 under a range of low sandstone    
precipices1 with interposing grassy     
slopes1 in which the fertile ,oolitic   
meniscus descends to the beach4 ,the    
sandstone1 white and soft1 and occurring
 in thick beds1 much resembles that of  
the ,oolite of ,sutherland4 ,we detect  
in it few traces of fossils2 now and    
then a carbonaceous marking1 and now and
 then what seems a thin vein of coal1   
but which proves to be merely the bark  
of some woody stem1 converted into a    
glossy bituminous lignite1 like that of 
,brora4 ,but in beds of a blue clay1    
intercalated with the sandstone1 we find
 fossils in abundance1 of a character   
less obscure4 ,we spent a full half-hour
 in picking out shells from the bottom  
of a long dock-like hollow among the    

rocks1 in which a bed of clay has       
yielded to the waves1 while the strata  
on either side stand up over it like low
 wharfs on the opposite side of a river4
 ,the shells1 though exceedingly        
fragile1--for they partake of the nature
 of the clayey matrix in which they are 
imbedded1--rise as entire as when they  
had died among the mud1 years1 mayhap   
ages1 ere the sandstone had been        
deposited over them2 and we were enabled
 at once to detect their extreme        
dissimilarity1 as a group1 to the shells
 of the ,liasic deposit we had so lately
 quitted4 ,we did not find in this bed a
 single ,ammonite1 ,belemnite1 or       
,nautilus2 but chalky ,bivalves1        
resembling our existing ,tellina1 in    
vast abundance1 mixed with what seem to 
be a small ,buccinum and a minute       
,trochus1 with numerous rather equivocal
 fragments of a shell resembling an     
,oiliva4 ,so thickly do they lie        
clustered together in this deposit1 that
 in some patches where the sad-colored  

argillaceous ground is washed bare by   
the sea1 it seems marbled with them into
 a light gray tint4 ,the group more     
nearly resembles in type a recent one   
than any ,i have yet seen in a secondary
 deposit1 except perhaps in the ,weald  
of ,moray1 where we find in one of the  
layers a ,planorbis scarce              
distinguishable from those of our ponds 
and ditches1 mingled with a ,paludina   
that seems as nearly modelled after the 
existing form4 ,from the absence of the 
more characteristic shells of the       
,oolite1 ,i am inclined to deem the     
deposit one of estuary origin4 ,its     
clays were probably thrown down1 like   
the silts of so many of our rivers1 in  
some shallow bay1 where the waters of a 
descending stream mingled with those of 
the sea1 and where1 though shells nearly
 akin to our existing periwinkles and   
whelks congregate thickly1 the          
,belemnite1 seared by the brackish      
water1 never plied its                  
semi-cartilaginous fins1 or the         

,nautilus or ,ammonite hoisted its      
membranaceous sail4  ,we pass on towards
 the north4 ,a thick bed of an extremely
 soft white sandstone presents here1 for
 nearly half a mile together1 its front 
to the waves1 and exhibits1 under the   
incessant wear of the surf1 many        
singularly grotesque combinations of    
form4 ,the low precipices1 undermined at
 the base1 beetle over like the sides of
 stranded vessels4 ,one of the          
projecting promontories we find hollowed
 through and through by a tall rugged   
archway2 while the outer pier of the    
arch1--if pier we may term it1--worn to 
a skeleton1 and jutting outwards with a 
knee-like angle1 presents the appearance
 of a thin ungainly leg and splay foot1 
advanced1 as if in awkward courtesy1 to 
the breakers4 ,but in a winter or two1  
judging from its present degree of      
attenuation1 and the yielding nature of 
its material1 which resembles a damaged 
mass of arrow-root1 consolidated by     
lying in the leaky hold of a vessel1 its

 persevering courtesies will be over1   
and pier and archway must lie in        
shapeless fragments on the beach4       
,wherever the surf has broken into the  
upper surface of this sandstone bed1 and
 worn it down to nearly the level of the
 shore1 what seem a number of double    
ramparts1 fronting each other1 and      
separated by deep square ditches exactly
 parallel in the sides1 traverse the    
irregular level in every direction4 ,the
 ditches vary in width from one to      
twelve feet2 and the ramparts1 rising   
from three to six feet over them1 are   
perpendicular as the walls of houses1   
where they front each other1 and descend
 on the opposite sides in irregular     
slopes4 ,the iron block1 with square    
groove and projecting ears1 that        
receives the bar of a railway1 and      
connects it with the stone below1       
represents not inadequately a section of
 one of these ditches1 with its         
ramparts4 ,they form here the sole      
remains of dykes of an earthy trap1     

which1 though at one time in a state of 
such high fusion that they converted the
 portions of soft sandstone in immediate
 contact with them into the consistence 
of quartz rock1 have long since         
mouldered away1 leaving but the hollow  
rectilinear rents which they had        
occupied1 surmounted by the indurated   
walls which they had baked4 ,some of the
 most curious appearances1 however1     
connected with the sandstone1 though    
they occur chiefly in an upper bed1 are 
exhibited by what seem fields of        
petrified mushrooms1 of a gigantic size1
 that spread out in some places for     
hundreds of yards under the high-water  
level4 ,these apparent mushrooms stand  
on thick squat stems1 from a foot to    
eighteen inches in height2 the heads are
 round like those of toad-stools1 and   
vary from one foot to nearly two yards  
in diameter4 ,in some specimens we find 
two heads joined together in a form     
resembling a squat figure of eight1 of  
what printers term the ,egyptian type1  

or1 to borrow the illustration of       
,m',culloch1 like the ancient military  
projectile known by the name of         
double-headed shot2 in other specimens  
three heads have coalesced in a trefoil 
shape1 or rather in a shape like that of
 an ace of clubs divested of the stem4  
,by much the greater number1 however1   
are spherical4 ,they are composed of    
concretionary masses1 consolidated1 like
 the walls of the dykes1 though under   
some different process1 into a hard     
siliceous stone1 that has resisted those
 disintegrating influences of the       
weather and the surf1 under which the   
yielding matrix in which they were      
embedded has worn from around them4     
,here and there we find them lying      
detached on the beach1 like huge shot1  
compared with which the greenstone balls
 of ,mons ,meg are but marbles for      
children to play with2 in other cases   
they project from the mural front of    
rampart-like precipices1 as if they had 
been showered into them by the ordnance 

of some besieging battery1 and had stuck
 fast in the mason-work4 ,abbotsford has
 been described as a romance in stone   
and lime2 we have here1 on the shores of
 ,laig1 what seems a wild but agreeable 
tale1 of the extravagant cast of        
,christabel1 or the ,rhyme of the       
,ancient ,mariner1 fretted into         
sandstone4 ,but by far the most curious 
part of the story remains to be told4   
,the hollows and fissures of the lower  
sandstone bed we find filled with a fine
 quartzose sand1 which1 from its pure   
white color1 and the clearness with     
which the minute particles reflect the  
light1 reminds one of accumulations of  
potato-flour drying in the sun4 ,it is  
formed almost entirely of disintegrated 
particles of the soft sandstone2 and as 
we at first find it occurring in mere   
handfuls1 that seem as if they had been 
detached from the mass during the last  
few tides1 we begin to marvel to what   
quarter the missing materials of the    
many hundred cubic yards of rock1 ground

 down along the shore in this bed during
 the last century or two1 have been     
conveyed away4 ,as we pass on           
northwards1 however1 we see the white   
sand occurring in much larger           
quantities1--here heaped up in little   
bent-covered hillocks above the reach of
 the tide1--there stretching out in     
level1 ripple-marked wastes into the    
waves1--yonder rising in flat narrow    
spits among the shallows4 ,at length we 
reach a small1 irregularly-formed bay1 a
 few hundred feet across1 floored with  
it from side to side2 and see it1 on the
 one hand1 descending deep into the sea1
 that exhibits over its whiteness a     
lighter tint of green1 and1 on the      
other1 encroaching on the land1 in the  
form of drifted banks1 covered with the 
plants common to our tracts of sandy    
downs4 ,the sandstone bed that has been 
worn down to form it contains no        
fossils1 save here and there a          
carbonaceous stem2 but in an underlying 
harder stratum we occasionally find a   

few shells2 and1 with a specimen in my  
hand charged with a group of bivalves   
resembling the existing conchifera of   
our sandy beaches1 ,i was turning aside 
this sand of the ,oolite1 so curiously  
reduced to its original state1 and      
marking how nearly the recent shells    
that lay embedded in it resembled the   
extinct ones that had lain in it so long
 before1 when ,i became aware of a      
peculiar sound that it yielded to the   
tread1 as my companions paced over it4  
,i struck it obliquely with my foot1    
where the surface lay dry and incoherent
 in the sun1 and the sound elicited was 
a shrill1 sonorous note1 somewhat       
resembling that produced by a waxed     
thread1 when tightened between the teeth
 and the hand1 and tipped by the nail of
 the forefinger4 ,i walked over it1     
striking it obliquely at each step1 and 
with every blow the shrill note was     
repeated4 ,my companions joined me2 and 
we performed a concert1 in which1 if we 
could boast of but little variety in the

 tones produced1 we might at least      
challenge all ,europe for an instrument 
of the kind which produced them4 ,it    
seemed less wonderful that there should 
be music in the granite of ,memnon1 than
 in the loose ,oolitic sand of the ,bay 
of ,laig4 ,as we marched over the drier 
tracts1 an incessant woo1 woo1 woo1 rose
 from the surface1 that might be heard  
in the calm some twenty or thirty yards 
away2 and we found that where a damp    
semi-coherent stratum lay at the depth  
of three or four inches beneath1 and all
 was dry and incoherent above1 the tones
 were loudest and sharpest1 and most    
easily evoked by the foot4 ,our         
discovery1--for ,i trust ,i may regard  
it as such1--adds a third locality to   
two previously known ones1 in which what
 may be termed the musical sand1--no    
unmeet counterpart to the singing water 
of the tale1--has now been found4 ,and  
as the island of ,eigg is considerably  
more accessible than ,jabel ,nakous1 in 
,arabia ,petraea1 or ,reg-,rawan1 in the

 neighborhood of ,cabul1 there must be  
facilities presented through the        
discovery which did not exist hitherto1 
for examining the phenomenon in         
acoustics which it exhibits1--a         
phenomenon1 it may be added1 which some 
of our greatest masters of the science  
have confessed their inability to       
explain4  ,jabel ,nakous1 or the        
,mountain of the ,bell1 is situated     
about three miles from the shores of the
 ,gulf of ,suez1 in that land of wonders
 which witnessed for forty years the    
journeyings of the ,israelites1 and in  
which the granite peaks of ,sinai and   
,horeb overlook an arid wilderness of   
rock and sand4 ,it had been known for   
many ages by the wild ,arab of the      
desert1 that there rose at times from   
this hill a strange1 inexplicable music4
 ,as he leads his camel past in the heat
 of the day1 a sound like the first low 
tones of an ,aeolian harp stirs the hot 
breezeless air4 ,it swells louder and   
louder in progressive undulations1 till 

at length the dry baked earth seems to  
vibrate under foot1 and the startled    
animal snorts and rears1 and struggles  
to break away4 ,according to the        
,arabian account of the phenomenon1 says
 ,sir ,david ,brewster1 in his ,letters 
on ,natural ,magic1 there is a convent  
miraculously preserved in the bowels of 
the hill2 and the sounds are said to be 
those of the ,nakous1 a long metallic   
ruler1 suspended horizontally1 which the
 priest strikes with a hammer1 for the  
purpose of assembling the monks to      
prayer4 ,there exists a tradition that  
on one occasion a wandering ,greek saw  
the mountain open1 and that1 entering by
 the gap1 he descended into the         
subterranean convent1 where he found    
beautiful gardens and fountains of      
delicious water1 and brought with him to
 the upper world1 on his return1        
fragments of consecrated bread4 ,the    
first ,european traveller who visited   
,jabel ,nakous1 says ,sir ,david1 was   
,m4 ,seetzen1 a ,german4 ,he journeyed  

for several hours over arid sands1 and  
under ranges of precipices inscribed by 
mysterious characters1 that tell1 haply1
 of the wanderings of ,israel under     
,moses4 ,and reaching1 about noon1 the  
base of the musical fountain1 he found  
it composed of a white friable          
sandstone1 and presenting on two of its 
sides sandy declivities4 ,he watched    
beside it for an hour and a quarter1 and
 then heard1 for the first time1 a low  
undulating sound1 somewhat resembling   
that of a humming top1 which rose and   
fell1 and ceased and began1 and then    
ceased again2 and in an hour and three  
quarters after1 when in the act of      
climbing along the declivity1 he heard  
the sound yet louder and more prolonged4
 ,it seemed as if issuing from under his
 knees1 beneath which the sand1         
disturbed by his efforts1 was sliding   
downwards along the surface of the rock4
 ,concluding that the sliding sand was  
the cause of the sounds1 not an effect  
of the vibrations which they occasioned1

 he climbed to the top of one of the    
declivities1 and1 sliding downwards1    
exerted himself with hands and feet to  
set the sand in motion4 ,the effect     
produced far exceeded his expectations2 
the incoherent sand rolled under and    
around in a vast sheet2 and so loud was 
the noise produced1 that the earth      
seemed to tremble beneath him to such a 
degree1 that he states he should        
certainly have been afraid if he had    
been ignorant of the cause4 ,at the time
 ,sir ,david ,brewster wrote 7#ahcb71   
the only other ,european who had visited
 ,jabel ,nakous was ,mr4 ,gray1 of      
,university ,college1 ,oxford4 ,this    
gentleman describes the noises he heard1
 but which he was unable to trace to    
their producing cause1 as beginning with
 a low continuous murmuring sound1 which
 seemed to rise beneath his feet1 but   
which gradually changed into pulsations 
as it became louder1 so as to resemble  
the striking of a clock1 and became so  
strong at the end of five minutes as to 

detach the sand4 ,the ,mountain of the  
,bell has been since carefully explored 
by ,lieutenant ,j4 ,welsted1 of the     
,indian navy2 and the reader may see it 
exhibited in a fine lithograph1 in his  
travels1 as a vast irregularly conical  
mass of broken stone1 somewhat          
resembling one of our ,highland cairns1 
though1 of course1 on a scale immensely 
more huge1 with a steep1 angular slope  
of sand resting in a hollow in one of   
its sides1 and rising to nearly its     
apex4 ,it forms1 says ,lieutenant       
,welsted1 one of a ridge of low1        
calcareous hills1 at a distance of three
 and a half miles from the beach1 to    
which a sandy plain1 extending with a   
gentle rise to their base1 connects     
them4 ,its height1 about four hundred   
feet1 as well as the material of which  
it is composed1--a light-colored friable
 sandstone1--is about the same as the   
rest of the chain2 but an inclined plane
 of almost impalpable sand rises at an  
angle of forty degrees with the horizon1

 and is bounded by a semi-circle of     
rocks1 presenting broken1 abrupt1 and   
pinnacled forms1 and extending to the   
base of this remarkable hill4 ,although 
their shape and arrangement in some     
respects may be said to resemble a      
whispering gallery1 yet ,i determined by
 experiment that their irregular surface
 renders them but ill adapted for the   
production of an echo4 ,seated at a rock
 at the base of the sloping eminence1 ,i
 directed one of the ,bedouins to       
ascend2 and it was not until he had     
reached some distance that ,i perceived 
the sand in motion1 rolling down the    
hill to the depth of a foot4 ,it did    
not1 however1 descend in one continued  
stream2 but1 as the ,arab scrambled up1 
it spread out laterally and upwards1    
until a considerable portion of the     
surface was in motion4 ,at their        
commencement the sounds might be        
compared to the faint strains of an     
,aeolian harp when its strings first    
catch the breeze3 as the sand became    

more violently agitated by the increased
 velocity of the descent1 the noise more
 nearly resembled that produced by      
drawing the moistened fingers over      
glass4 ,as it reached the base1 the     
reverberations attained the loudness of 
distant thunder1 causing the rock on    
which we were seated to vibrate2 and our
 camels1--animals not easily            
frightened1--became so alarmed that it  
was with difficulty their drivers could 
restrain them4  ,the hill of ,reg-,rawan
 or the ',moving ,sand1' says the late  
,sir ,alexander ,burnes1 by whom the    
place was visited in the autumn of      
#ahcg1 and who has recorded his visit in
 a brief paper1 illustrated by a rude   
lithographic view1 in the ,journal of   
the ,asiatic ,society for #ahch1 is     
about forty miles north of ,cabul1      
towards ,hindu-kush1 and near the base  
of the mountains4 ,it rises to the      
height of about four hundred feet1 in an
 angle formed by the junction of two    
ridges of hills2 and a sheet of sand1   

pure as that of the sea-shore1 and which
 slopes in an angle of forty degrees1   
reclines against it from base to summit4
 ,as represented in the lithograph1     
there projects over the steep sandy     
slope on each side1 as in the ,mountain 
of the ,bell1 still steeper barriers of 
rock2 and we are told by ,sir           
,alexander1 that though the mountains   
here are generally composed of granite  
or mica1 at ,reg-,rawan there is        
sandstone and lime4 ,the situation of   
the sand is curious1 he adds3 it is seen
 from a great distance2 and as there is 
none other in the neighborhood1 it might
 almost be imagined1 from its           
appearance1 that the hill had been cut  
in two1 and that the sand had gushed    
forth as from a sand-bag4 ,when set in  
motion by a body of people who slide    
down it1 a sound is emitted4 ,on the    
first trial we distinctly heard two loud
 hollow sounds1 such as would be given  
by a large drum2--there is an echo in   
the place2 and the inhabitants have a   

belief that the sounds are only heard on
 ,friday1 when the saint of ,reg-,rawan1
 who is interred hard by1 permits4 ,the 
phenomenon1 like the resembling one in  
,arabia1 seems to have attracted        
attention among the inhabitants of the  
country at an early period2 and the     
notice of an eastern annalist1 the      
,emperor ,baber1 who flourished late in 
the fifteenth century1 and1 like        
,caesar1 conquered and recorded his     
conquests1 still survives4 ,he describes
 it as the ,khwaja ,reg-,rawan1 a small 
hill1 in which there is a line of sandy 
ground reaching from the top to the     
bottom1 from which there issues in the  
summer season the sound of drums and    
nagarets4 ,in connection with the fact  
that the musical sand of ,eigg is       
composed of a disintegrated sandstone of
 the ,oolite1 it is not quite unworthy  
of notice that sandstone and lime enter 
into the composition of the hill of     
,reg-,rawan1--that the district in which
 the hill is situated is not a sandy    

one1--and that its slope of sonorous    
sand seems as if it had issued from its 
side4 ,these various circumstances1     
taken together1 lead to the inference   
that the sand may have originated in the
 decomposition of the rock beneath4 ,it 
is further noticeable1 that the ,jabel  
,nakous is composed of a white friable  
sandstone1 resembling that of the white 
friable bed of the ,bay of ,laig1 and   
that it belongs to nearly the same      
geological era4 ,i owe to the kindness  
of ,dr4 ,wilson of ,bombay1 two         
specimens which he picked up in ,arabia 
,petraea1 of spines of ,cidarites of the
 mace-formed type so common in the      
,chalk and ,oolite1 but so rare in the  
older formations4 ,dr4 ,wilson informs  
me that they are of frequent occurrence 
in the desert of ,arabia ,petraea1 where
 they are termed by the ,arabs petrified
 olives2 that nummulites are also       
abundant in the district2 and that the  
various secondary rocks he examined in  
his route through it seem to belong to  

the ,cretaceous group4 ,it appears not  
improbable1 therefore1 that all the     
sonorous sand in the world yet          
discovered is formed1 like that of      
,eigg1 of disintegrated sandstone2 and  
at least two-thirds of it of the        
disintegrated sandstone of secondary    
formations1 newer than the ,lias4 ,but  
how it should be at all sonorous1       
whatever its age or origin1 seems yet to
 be discovered4 ,there are few          
substances that appear worse suited than
 sand to communicate to the atmosphere  
those vibratory undulations that are the
 producing causes of sound3 the grains1 
even when sonorous individually1 seem1  
from their inevitable contact with each 
other1 to exist under the influence of  
that simple law in acoustics which      
arrests the tones of the ringing glass  
or struck bell1 immediately as they are 
but touched by some foreign body1 such  
as the hand or finger4 ,the one grain1  
ever in contact with several other      
grains1 is a glass or bell on which the 

hand always rests4 ,and the difficulty  
has been felt and acknowledged4 ,sir    
,john ,herschel1 in referring to the    
phenomenon of the ,jabel ,nakous1 in his
 ,treatise on ,sound1 in the            
,encyclopaedia ,metropolitana1 describes
 it as to him utterly inexplicable2 and 
,sir ,david ,brewster1 whom ,i had the  
pleasure of meeting in ,december last1  
assured me it was not less a puzzle to  
him than to ,sir ,john4 ,an eastern     
traveller1 who attributes its production
 to a reduplication of impulse setting  
air in vibration in a focus of echo1    
means1 ,i suppose1 saying nearly the    
same thing as the two philosophers1 and 
merely conveys his meaning in a less    
simple style4  ,i have not yet procured 
what ,i expect to procure soon1--sand   
enough from the musical bay at ,laig to 
enable me to make its sonorous qualities
 the subject of experiment at home4 ,it 
seems doubtful whether a small quantity 
set in motion on an artificial slope    
will serve to evolve the phenomena which

 have rendered the ,mountain of the     
,bell so famous4 ,lieutenant ,welsted   
informs us1 that when his ,bedouin first
 set the sand in motion1 there was      
scarce any perceptible sound heard2--it 
was rolling downwards for many yards    
around him to the depth of a foot1 ere  
the music arose2 and it is questionable 
whether the effect could be elicited    
with some fifty or sixty pounds weight  
of the sand of ,eigg1 on a slope of but 
at most a few feet1 which it took many  
hundred weight of sand of ,jabel        
,nakous1 and a slope of many yards1 to  
produce4 ,but in the stillness of a     
close room1 it is just possible that it 
may4 ,i have1 however1 little doubt1    
that from small quantities the sound    
evoked by the foot on the shore may be  
reproduced3 enough will lie within the  
reach of experiment to demonstrate the  
strange difference which exists between 
this sonorous sand of the ,oolite1 and  
the common unsonorous sand of our       
sea-beaches2 and it is certainly worth  

while examining into the nature and     
producing causes of a phenomenon so     
curious in itself1 and which has been   
characterized by one of the most        
distinguished of living philosophers as 
the most celebrated of all the acoustic 
wonders which the natural world presents
 to us4 ,in the forthcoming number of   
the ,north ,british ,review1--which     
appears on ,monday first1#a--the reader 
will find the sonorous sand of ,eigg    
referred to1 in an article the          
authorship of which will scarcely be    
mistaken4 ,we have here1 says the       
writer1 after first describing the      
sounds of ,jabel ,nakous1 and then      
referring to those of ,eigg1 the        
phenomenon in its simple state1         
disembarrassed from reflecting rocks1   
from a hard bed beneath1 and from cracks
 and cavities that might be supposed to 
admit the sand2 and indicating as its   
cause1 either the accumulated vibration 
of the air when struck by the driven    
sand1 or the accumulated sounds         

occasioned by the mutual impact of the  
particles of sand against each other4   
,if a musket-ball passing through the   
air emits a whistling note1 each        
individual particle of sand must do the 
same1 however faint be the note which it
 yields2 and the accumulation of these  
infinitesimal vibrations must constitute
 an audible sound1 varying with the     
number and velocity of moving particles4
 ,in like manner1 if two plates of silex
 or quartz1 which are but large crystals
 of sand1 give out a musical sound when 
mutually struck1 the impact or collision
 of two minute crystals or particles of 
sand must do the same1 in however       
inferior a degree2 and the union of all 
these sounds1 though singly             
imperceptible1 may constitute the       
musical notes of the ,bell ,mountain1 or
 the lesser sounds of the trodden       
sea-beach at ,eigg4  ,here is a vigorous
 effort made to unlock the difficulty4  
,i should1 however1 have mentioned to   
the philosophic writer1--what ,i        

inadvertently failed to do1--that the   
sounds elicited from the sand of ,eigg  
seem as directly evoked by the slant    
blow dealt it by the foot1 as the sounds
 similarly evoked from a highly waxed   
floor1 or a board strewed over with     
ground rosin4 ,the sharp shrill note    
follows the stroke1 altogether          
independently of the grains driven into 
the air4 ,my omission may serve to show 
how much safer it is for those minds of 
the observant order1 that serve as hands
 and eyes to the reflective ones1 to    
prefer incurring the risk of being even 
tediously minute in their descriptions1 
to the danger of being inadequately     
brief in them4 ,but1 alas6 for purposes 
of exact science1 rarely are verbal     
descriptions otherwise than inadequate4 
,let us look1 for example1 at the       
various accounts given us of ,jabel     
,nakous4 ,there are strange sounds heard
 proceeding from a hill in ,arabia1 and 
various travellers set themselves to    
describe them4 ,the tones are those of  

the convent ,nakous1 says the wild      
,arab2--there must be a convent buried  
under the hill4 ,more like the sounds of
 a humming-top1 remarks a phlegmatic    
,german traveller4 ,not quite like them1
 says an ,english one in an ,oxford     
gown2--they resemble rather the striking
 of a clock4 ,nay1 listen just a little 
longer and more carefully1 says a second
 ,englishman1 with epaulettes on his    
shoulder3 the sounds at their           
commencement may be compared to the     
faint strains of an ,aeolian harp when  
its strings first catch the breeze1 but 
anon1 as the agitation of the sand      
increases1 they more nearly resemble    
those produced by drawing the moistened 
fingers over glass4 ,not at all1        
exclaims the warlike ,zahor ,ed-din     
,muhammed ,baber1 twirling his whiskers3
 ,i know a similar hill in the country  
towards ,hindu-kush3 it is the sound of 
drums and nagarets that issues from the 
sand4 ,all we really know of this       
often-described music of the desert1    

after reading all the descriptions1 is1 
that its tones bear certain analogies to
 certain other tones1--analogies that   
seem stronger in one direction to one   
ear1 and stronger in another direction  
to an ear differently constituted1 but  
which do not exactly resemble any other 
sounds in nature4 ,the strange music of 
,jabel ,nakous1 as a combination of     
tones1 is essentially unique4           
,,chapter ,v4                           
,trap-,dykes--,cotton                   
,apples--,alternation of ,lacustrine    
with ,marine      ,remains--,analogy    
from the ,beds of ,esk--,aspect of the  
,island on its      narrow ,front--,the 
,puffin--,ru-,stoir--,development of    
,old ,red      ,sandstone--,striking    
,columnar character of                  
,ru-,stoir--,discovery of               
,reptilian ,remains--,john ,stewart's   
wonder at the ,bones in the             
,stones--,description of the            
,bones--,dragons1 ,gorgons1 and         
,chimeras--,exploration and ,discovery  

pursued--,the ,midway      ,shieling--,a
 ,celtic ,welcome--,return of the       
,yacht--,array of ,fossils      new to  
,scotch ,geology--,a ,geologist's       
,toast--,hoffman and his      ,fossil4  
,we leave behind us the musical sand1   
and reach the point of the promontory   
which forms the northern extremity of   
the ,bay of ,laig4 ,wherever the beach  
has been swept bare1 we see it floored  
with trap-dykes worn down to the level1 
but in most places accumulations of huge
 blocks of various composition cover it 
up1 concealing the nature of the rock   
beneath4 ,the long semi-circular wall of
 precipice which1 sweeping inwards at   
the bottom of the bay1 leaves to the    
inhabitants between its base and the    
beach their fertile meniscus of land1   
here abuts upon the coast4 ,we see its  
dark forehead many hundred feet         
overhead1 and the grassy platform       
beneath1 now narrowed to a mere talus1  
sweeping upwards to its base from the   
shore1--steep1 broken1 lined thick with 

horizontal pathways1 mottled over with  
ponderous masses of rock4  ,among the   
blocks that load the beach1 and render  
our onward progress difficult and       
laborious1 we detect occasional         
fragments of an amygdaloidal basalt1    
charged with a white zeolite1 consisting
 of crystals so extremely slender that  
the balls1 with their light fibrous     
contents1 remind us of cotton apples    
divested of the seeds4 ,there occur1    
though more rarely1 masses of a hard    
white sandstone1 abounding in vegetable 
impressions1 which1 from their          
sculptured markings1 recalled to memory 
the ,sigillaria of the ,coal ,measures4 
,here and there1 too1 we find fragments 
of a calcareous stone1 so largely       
charged with compressed shells1 chiefly 
bivalves1 that it may be regarded as a  
shell breccia4 ,there occur1 besides1   
slabs of fibrous limestone1 exactly     
resembling the limestone of the         
ichthyolite beds of the ,lower ,old     
,red2 and blocks of a hard gray stone1  

of silky lustre in the fresh fracture1  
thickly speckled with carbonaceous      
markings4 ,these fragmentary            
masses1--all of them1 at least1 except  
the fibrous limestone1 which occurs in  
mere plank-like bands1--represent       
distinct beds1 of which this part of the
 island is composed1 and which present  
their edges1 like courses of ashlar in a
 building1 in the splendid section that 
stretches from the tall brow of the     
precipice to the beach2 though in the   
slopes of the talus1 where the lower    
beds appear in but occasional           
protrusions and land-slips1 we find some
 difficulty in tracing their order of   
succession4  ,near the base of the      
slope1 where the soil has been          
undermined and the rock laid bare by the
 waves1 there occur beds of a bituminous
 black shale1--resembling the dark      
shales so common in the ,coal           
,measures1--that seem to be of fresh    
water or estuary origin4 ,their fossils1
 though numerous1 are ill preserved2 but

 we detect in them scales and plates of 
fishes1 at least two species of minute  
bivalves1 one of which very much        
resembles a ,cyclas2 and in some of the 
fragments1 shells of ,cypris lie        
embedded in considerable abundance4     
,after all that has been said and       
written by way of accounting for those  
alternations of lacustrine with marine  
remains1 which are of such frequent     
occurrence in the various formations1   
secondary and tertiary1 from the ,coal  
,measures downwards1 it does seem       
strange enough that the estuary1 or     
fresh-water lake1 should so often in the
 old geologic periods have changed      
places with the sea4 ,it is             
comparatively easy to conceive that the 
inner ,hebrides should have once existed
 as a broad ocean sound1 bounded on one 
or either side by ,oolitic islands1 from
 which streams descended1 sweeping with 
them1 to the marine depths1 productions1
 animal and vegetable1 of the land4 ,but
 it is less easy to conceive1 that in   

that sound1 the area covered by the     
ocean one year should have been covered 
by a fresh-water lake in perhaps the    
next1 and then by the ocean again a few 
years after4 ,and yet among the ,oolitic
 deposits of the ,hebrides evidence     
seems to exist that changes of this     
nature actually took place4 ,i am not   
inclined to found much on the apparently
 fresh-water character of the bituminous
 shales of ,eigg2--the embedded fossils 
are all too obscure to be admitted in   
evidence2 but there can exist no doubt  
that fresh water1 or at least estuary   
formations1 do occur among the marine   
,oolites of the ,hebrides4 ,sir ,r4     
,murchison1 one of the most cautious1 as
 he is certainly one of the most        
distinguished1 of living geologists1    
found in a northern district of ,skye1  
in #ahbf1 a deposit containing ,cyclas1 
,paludina1 ,neritina1--all shells of    
unequivocally fresh-water origin1--which
 must have been formed1 he concludes1 in
 either a lake or estuary4 ,what had    

been sea at one period had been estuary 
or lake at another4 ,in every case1     
however1 in which these intercalated    
deposits are restricted to single strata
 of no great thickness1 it is perhaps   
safer to refer their formation to the   
agency of temporary land-floods1 than to
 that of violent changes of level1 now  
elevating and now depressing the        
surface4 ,there occur1 for instance1    
among the marine ,oolites of            
,brora1--the discovery of ,mr4          
,robertson1 of ,inverugie1--two strata  
containing fresh-water fossils in       
abundance2 but the one stratum is little
 more than an inch in thickness1--the   
other little more than a foot2 and it   
seems considerably more probable1 that  
such deposits should have owed their    
existence to extraordinary land-floods1 
like those which in #ahbi devastated the
 province of ,moray1 and covered over   
whole miles of marine beach with the    
spoils of land and river1 than that a   
sea-bottom should have been elevated for

 their production1 into a fresh-water   
lake1 and then let down into a          
sea-bottom again4 ,we find it recorded  
in the ,shepherd's ,calendar1 that after
 the thaw which followed the great      
snow-storm of #agid1 there were found on
 a part of the sands of the ,solway     
,frith known as the ,beds of ,esk1 where
 the tide disgorges much of what is     
thrown into it by the rivers1 one       
thousand eight hundred and forty sheep1 
nine black cattle1 three horses1 two    
men1 one woman1 forty-five dogs1 and one
 hundred and eighty hares1 beside a     
number of meaner animals4 ,a similar    
storm in an earlier time1 with a soft   
sea-bottom prepared to receive and      
retain its spoils1 would have formed a  
fresh-water stratum intercalated in a   
marine deposit4  ,rounding the          
promontory1 we lose sight of the ,bay of
 ,laig1 and find the narrow front of the
 island that now presents itself        
exhibiting the appearance of a huge     
bastion4 ,the green talus slopes        

upwards1 as its basement1 for full three
 hundred feet2 and a noble wall of      
perpendicular rock1 that towers over and
 beyond for at least four hundred feet  
more1 forms the rampart4 ,save towards  
the sea1 the view is of but limited     
extent2 we see it restricted1 on the    
landward side1 to the bold face of the  
bastion2 and in a narrow and broken dell
 that runs nearly parallel to the shore 
for a few hundred yards between the top 
of the talus and the base of the        
rampart1--a true covered way1--we see   
but the rampart alone4 ,but the dizzy   
front of black basalt1 dark as night1   
save where a broad belt of light-colored
 sandstone traverses it in an angular   
direction1 like a white sash thrown     
across a funeral robe1--the fantastic   
peaks and turrets in which the rock     
terminates atop1--the masses of broken  
ruins1 roughened with moss and lichen1  
that have fallen from above1 and lie    
scattered at its base1--the extreme     
loneliness of the place1 for we have    

left behind us every trace of the human 
family1--and the expanse of solitary sea
 which it commands1--all conspire to    
render the scene a profoundly imposing  
one4 ,it is one of those scenes in which
 a man feels that he is little1 and that
 nature is great4 ,there is no precipice
 in the island in which the puffin so   
delights to build as among the dark     
pinnacles overhead1 or around which the 
silence is so frequently broken by the  
harsh scream of the eagle4 ,the sun had 
got far adown the sky ere we had reached
 the covered way at the base of the     
rock4 ,all lay dark below2 and the red  
light atop1 half absorbed by the dingy  
hues of the stone1 shone with a gleam so
 faint and melancholy1 that it served   
but to deepen the effect of the shadows4
  ,the puffin1 a comparatively rare bird
 in the inner ,hebrides1 builds1 ,i was 
told1 in great numbers in the continuous
 line of precipice which1 after sweeping
 for a full mile round the ,bay of      
,laig1 forms the pinnacled rampart here1

 and then1 turning another angle of the 
island1 runs on parallel to the coast   
for about six miles more4 ,in former    
times the puffin furnished the          
islanders1 as in ,st4 ,kilda1 with a    
staple article of food1 in those hungry 
months of summer in which the stores of 
the old crop had begun to fail1 and the 
new crop had not yet ripened2 and the   
people of ,eigg1 taught by their        
necessities1 were bold cragsmen4 ,but   
men do not peril life and limb for the  
mere sake of a meal1 save when they     
cannot help it2 and the introduction of 
the potato has done much to put out the 
practice of climbing for the bird1      
except among a few young lads1 who find 
excitement enough in the work to pursue 
it for its own sake1 as an amusement4 ,i
 found among the islanders what was said
 to be a piece of the natural history of
 the puffin1 sufficiently apocryphal to 
remind one of the famous passage in the 
history of the barnacle1 which traced   
the lineage of the bird to one of the   

pedunculated cirripedes1 and the lineage
 of the cirripede to a log of wood4 ,the
 puffin feeds its young1 say the        
islanders1 on an oily scum of the sea1  
which renders it such an unwieldy mass  
of fat1 that about the time when it     
should be beginning to fly1 it becomes  
unable to get out of its hole4 ,the     
parent bird1 not in the least puzzled1  
however1 treats the case medicinally1   
and1--like mothers of another two-legged
 genus1 who1 when their daughters get   
over stout1 put them through a course of
 reducing acids to bring them           
down1--feeds it on sorrel leaves for    
several days together1 till1 like a     
boxer under training1 it gets thinned to
 the proper weight1 and becomes able1   
not only to get out of its cell1 but    
also to employ its wings4  ,we pass     
through the hollow1 and1 reaching the   
farther edge of the bastion1 towards the
 east1 see a new range of prospect      
opening before us4 ,there is first a    
long unbroken wall of precipice1--a     

continuation of the tall rampart        
overhead1--relieved along its irregular 
upper line by the blue sky4 ,we mark the
 talus widening at its base1 and        
expanding1 as on the shores of the ,bay 
of ,laig1 into an irregular grassy      
platform1 that1 sinking midway into a   
ditch-like hollow1 rises again towards  
the sea1 and presents to the waves a    
perpendicular precipice of redstone4    
,the sinking sun shone brightly this    
evening2 and the warm hues of the       
precipice1 which bears the name of      
,ru-,stoir1--the ,red ,head1--strikingly
 contrasted with the pale and dark tints
 of the alternating basalts and         
sandstones in the taller cliff behind4  
,the ditch-like hollow1 which seems to  
indicate the line of a fault1 cuts off  
this red headland from all the other    
rocks of the island1 from which it      
appears to differ as considerably in    
texture as in hue4 ,it consists mainly  
of thick beds of a pale red stone1 which
 ,m',culloch regarded as a trap1 and    

which1 intercalated with here and there 
a thin band of shale1 and presenting not
 a few of the mineralogical appearances 
of what geologists of the school of the 
late ,mr4 ,cunningham term ,primary ,old
 ,red ,sandstone1 in some cases has been
 laid down as a deposit of ,old ,red    
proper1 abutting in the line of a fault 
on the neighboring ,oolites and basalts4
 ,in the geological map which ,i carried
 with me1--not one of high authority    
however1--,i found it actually colored  
as a patch of this ancient system4 ,the 
,old ,red ,sandstone is largely         
developed in the neighboring island of  
,rum1 in the line of which the          
,ru-,stoir seems to have a more direct  
bearing than any of the other deposits  
of ,eigg2 and yet the conclusion        
regarding this red headland merely adds 
one proof more to the many furnished    
already1 of the inadequacy of           
mineralogical testimony1 when taken in  
evidence regarding the eras of the      
geologist4 ,the hard red beds of        

,ru-,stoir belong1 as ,i was fortunate  
enough this evening to ascertain1 not to
 the ages of the ,coccosteus and        
,pterichthys1 but to the far later ages 
of the ,plesiosaurus and the fossil     
crocodile4 ,i found them associated with
 more reptilian remains1 of a character 
more unequivocal than have been yet     
exhibited by any other deposit in       
,scotland4  ,what first strikes the eye1
 in approaching the ,ru-,stoir from the 
west1 is the columnar character of the  
stone4 ,the precipices rise immediately 
over the sea1 in rude colonnades of from
 thirty to fifty feet in height2 single 
pillars1 that have fallen from their    
places in the line1 and exhibit a       
tenacity rare among the trap-rocks1--for
 they occur in unbroken lengths of from 
ten to twelve feet1--lie scattered      
below2 and in several places where the  
waves have joined issue with the        
precipices in the line on which the base
 of the columns rest1 and swept away the
 supporting foundation1 the colonnades  

open into roomy caverns1 that resound to
 the dash of the sea4 ,wherever the     
spray lashes1 the pale red hue of the   
stone prevails1 and the angles of the   
polygonal shafts are rounded2 while     
higher up all is sharp-edged1 and the   
unweathered surface is covered by a gray
 coat of lichens4 ,the tenacity of the  
prostrate columns first drew my         
attention4 ,the builder scant of        
materials would have experienced no     
difficulty in finding among them        
sufficient lintels for apertures from   
eight to twelve feet in width4 ,i was   
next struck with the peculiar           
composition of the stone2 it much rather
 resembles an altered sandstone1 in at  
least the weathered specimens1 than a   
trap1 and yet there seemed nothing to   
indicate that it was an ,old ,red       
,sandstone4 ,its columnar structure bore
 evidence to the action of great heat2  
and its pale red color was exactly that 
which the ,oolitic sandstones of the    
island1 with their slight ochreous      

tinge1 would assume in a common fire4   
,and so ,i set myself to look for       
fossils4 ,in the columnar stone itself  
,i expected none1 as none occur in vast 
beds of the unaltered sandstones1 out of
 some one of which ,i supposed it might 
possibly have been formed2 and none ,i  
found3 but in a rolled block of altered 
shale of a much deeper red than the     
general mass1 and much more resembling  
,old ,red ,sandstone1 ,i succeeded in   
detecting several shells1 identical with
 those of the deposit of blue clay      
described in a former chapter4 ,there   
occurred in it the small univalve       
resembling a ,trochus1 together with the
 oblong bivalve1 somewhat like a        
,tellina2 and1 spread thickly throughout
 the block1 lay fragments of coprolitic 
matter1 and the scales and teeth of     
fishes4 ,night was coming on1 and the   
tide had risen on the beach2 but ,i     
hammered lustily1 and laid open in the  
dark red shale a vertebral joint1 a rib1
 and a parallelogramical fragment of    

solid bone1 none of which could have    
belonged to any fish4 ,it was an        
interesting moment for the curtain to   
drop over the promontory of ,ru-,stoir2 
,i had thus already found in connection 
with it well nigh as many reptilian     
remains as had been found in all        
,scotland before1--for there could exist
 no doubt that the bones ,i laid open   
were such2 and still more interesting   
discoveries promised to await the coming
 morning1 and a less hasty survey4 ,we  
found a hospitable meal awaiting us at a
 picturesque old two-story house1 with1 
what is rare in the island1 a clump of  
trees beside it1 which rises on the     
northern angle of the ,oolitic meniscus2
 and after our day's hard work in the   
fresh sea-air1 we did ample justice to  
the viands4 ,dark night had long set in 
ere we reached our vessel4  ,next day   
was ,saturday2 and it behooved my       
friend1 the minister1--as scrupulously  
careful in his pulpit preparations for  
the islanders of ,eigg as if his        

congregation were an ,edinburgh one1--to
 remain on board1 and study his         
discourse for the morrow4 ,i found1     
however1 no unmeet companion for my     
excursion in his trusty mate ,john      
,stewart4 ,john had not very much       
,english1 and ,i had no ,gaelic2 but we 
contrived to understand one another     
wonderfully well2 and ere evening ,i had
 taught him to be quite as expert in    
hunting dead crocodiles as myself4 ,we  
reached the ,ru-,stoir1 and set hard to 
work with hammer and chisel4 ,the       
fragments of red shale were strewed     
thickly along the shore for at least    
three quarters of a mile2 wherever the  
red columnar rock appeared1 there lay   
the shale1 in water-worn blocks1 more or
 less indurated2 but the beach was      
covered over with shingle and detached  
masses of rock1 and we could nowhere    
find it in situ4 ,a winter storm        
powerful enough to wash the beach bare  
might do much to assist the explorer4   
,there is a piece of shore on the       

eastern coast of ,scotland1 on which for
 years together ,i used to pick up      
nodular masses of lime containing fish  
of the ,old ,red ,sandstone2 but nowhere
 in the neighborhood could ,i find the  
ichthyolite bed in which they had       
originally formed4 ,the storm of a      
single night swept the beach2 and in the
 morning the ichthyolites lay revealed  
in situ under a stratum of shingle which
 ,i had a hundred times examined1 but   
which1 though scarce a foot in          
thickness1 had concealed from me the    
ichthyolite bed for five twelvemonths   
together6  ,wherever the altered shale  
of ,ru-,stoir has been thrown high on   
the beach1 and exposed to the influences
 of the weather1 we find it fretted over
 with minute organisms1 mostly the      
scales1 plates1 bones1 and teeth of     
fishes4 ,the organisms1 as is frequently
 the case1 seem indestructible1 while   
the hard matrix in which they are       
embedded has weathered from around them4
 ,some of the scales present the        

rhomboidal outline1 and closely resemble
 those of the ,lepidotus ,minor of the  
,weald2 others approximate in shape to  
an isosceles triangle4 ,the teeth are of
 various forms3 some of them1 evidently 
palatal1 are mere blunted protuberances 
glittering with enamel1--some of them   
present the usual slim1 thorn-like type 
common in the teeth of the existing fish
 of our coasts1--some again are squat   
and angular1 and rest on rectilinear    
bases1 prolonged considerably on each   
side of the body of the tooth1 like the 
rim of a hat or the flat head of a      
scupper nail4 ,of the occipital plates1 
some present a smooth enamelled surface1
 while some are thickly                 
tuberculated1--each tubercle bearing a  
minute depression in its apex1 like a   
crater on the summit of a rounded hill4 
,we find reptilian bones in             
abundance1--a thing new to ,scotch      
geology1--and in a state of keeping     
peculiarly fine4 ,they not a little     
puzzled ,john ,stewart3 he could not    

resist the evidence of his senses3 they 
were bones1 he said1 real bones1--there 
could be no doubt of that3 there were   
the joints of a backbone1 with the hole 
the brain-marrow had passed through2 and
 there were shank-bones and ribs1 and   
fishes' teeth2 but how1 he wondered1 had
 they all got into the very heart of the
 hard red stones8 ,he had seen what was 
called wood1 he said1 dug out of the    
side of the ,scuir1 without being quite 
certain whether it was wood or no2 but  
there could be no uncertainty here4 ,i  
laid open numerous vertebrae of various 
forms1--some with long spinous processes
 rising over the body or centrum of the 
bone1--which ,i found in every instance1
 unlike that of the ,ichthyosaurus1 only
 moderately concave on the articulating 
faces2 in others the spinous process    
seemed altogether wanting4 ,only two of 
the number bore any mark of the suture  
which unites1 in most reptiles1 the     
annular process to the centrum2 in the  
others both centrum and process seemed  

anchylosed1 as in quadrupeds1 into one  
bone2 and there remained no scar to show
 that the suture had ever existed4 ,in  
some specimens the ribs seem to have    
been articulated to the sides of the    
centrum2 in others there is a transverse
 process1 but no marks of articulation4 
,some of the vertebrae are evidently    
dorsal1 some cervical1 one apparently   
caudal2 and almost all agree in showing 
in front two little eyelets1 to which   
the great descending artery seems to    
have sent out blood-vessels in pairs4   
,the more entire ribs ,i was lucky      
enough to disinter have1 as in those of 
crocodileans1 double heads2 and a part  
of a fibula1 about four inches in       
length1 seems also to belong to this    
ancient family4 ,a large proportion of  
the other bones are evidently           
,plesiosaurian4 ,i found the head of the
 flat humerus so characteristic of the  
extinct order to which the ,plesiosaurus
 has been assigned1 and two digital     
bones of the paddle1 that1 from their   

comparatively slender and slightly      
curved form1 so unlike the digitals of  
its cogener the ,ichthyosaurus1 could   
have belonged evidently to no other     
reptile4 ,i observed1 too1 in the       
slightly curved articulations of not a  
few of the vertebrae1 the gentle        
convexity in the concave centre1 which1 
if not peculiar to the ,plesiosaurus1 is
 at least held to distinguish it from   
most of its contemporaries4 ,among the  
various nondescript organisms of the    
shale1 ,i laid open a smooth angular    
bone1 hollowed something like a grocer's
 scoop2 a three-pronged caltrop-looking 
bone1 that seems to have formed part of 
a pelvic arch2 another angular bone1    
much massier than the first1 regarding  
the probable position of which ,i could 
not form a conjecture1 but which some of
 my geological friends deem cerebral2 an
 extremely dense bone1 imperfect at each
 end1 which presents the appearance of a
 cylinder slightly flattened2 and       
various curious fragments1 which1 with  

what our ,scotch museums have not yet   
acquired1--entire reptilian fossils for 
the purposes of comparison1--might1 ,i  
doubt not1 be easily assigned to their  
proper places4 ,it was in vain that1    
leaving ,john to collect the scattered  
pieces of shale in which the bones      
occurred1 ,i set myself again and again 
to discover the bed from which they had 
been detached4 ,the tide had fallen1 and
 a range of skerries lay temptingly off1
 scarce a hundred yards from the water's
 edge3 the shale beds might be among    
them1 with ,plesiosauri and crocodiles  
stretching entire2 and fain would ,i    
have swum off to them1 as ,i had done   
oftener than once elsewhere1 with my    
hammer in my teeth1 and with shirt and  
drawers in my hat2 but a tall brown     
forest of kelp and tangle in which even 
a seal might drown1 rose thick and      
perilous round both shore and skerries2 
a slight swell was felting the long     
fronds together2 and ,i deemed it       
better1 on the whole1 that the          

discoveries ,i had already made should  
be recorded1 than that they should be   
lost to geology1 mayhap for a whole age1
 in the attempt to extend them4  ,the   
water1 beautifully transparent1         
permitted the eye to penetrate into its 
green depths for many fathoms around1   
though every object presented1 through  
the agitated surface1 an uncertain and  
fluctuating outline4 ,i could see1      
however1 the pink-colored urchin warping
 himself up1 by his many cables1 along  
the steep rock-sides2 the green crab    
stalking along the gravelly bottom2 a   
scull of small rock-cod darting hither  
and thither among the tangle-roots2 and 
a few large medusae slowly flapping     
their continuous fins of gelatine in the
 opener spaces1 a few inches under the  
surface4 ,many curious families had     
their representatives within the patch  
of sea which the eye commanded2 but the 
strange creatures that had once         
inhabited it by thousands1 and whose    
bones still lay sepulchred on its       

shores1 had none4 ,how strange1 that the
 identical sea heaving around stack and 
skerry in this remote corner of the     
,hebrides should have once been thronged
 by reptile shapes more strange than    
poet ever imagined1--dragons1 gorgons   
and chimeras6 ,perhaps of all the       
extinct reptiles1 the ,plesiosaurus was 
the most extraordinary4 ,an ,english    
geologist has described it1 grotesquely 
enough1 and yet most happily1 as a snake
 threaded through a tortoise4 ,and here 
on this very spot1 must these monstrous 
dragons have disported and fed2 here    
must they have raised their little      
reptile heads and long swan-like necks  
over the surface1 to watch an antagonist
 or select a victim2 here must they have
 warred and wedded1 and pursued all the 
various instincts of their unknown      
natures4 ,a strange story1 surely1      
considering it is a true one6 ,i may    
mention in the passing1 that some of the
 fragments of the shale in which the    
remains are embedded have been baked by 

the intense heat into an exceedingly    
hard1 dark-colored stone1 somewhat      
resembling basalt4 ,i must add further1 
that ,i by no means determine the rock  
with which we find it associated to be  
in reality an altered sandstone4 ,such  
is the appearance which it presents     
where weathered2 but its general aspect 
is that of a porphyritic trap4 ,be it   
what it may1 the fact is not at all     
affected1 that the shores1 wherever it  
occurs on this tract of insular coast1  
are strewed with reptilian remains of   
the ,oolite4  ,the day passed pleasantly
 in the work of exploration and         
discovery2 the sun had already declined 
far in the west2 and1 bearing with us   
our better fossils1 we set out1 on our  
return1 by the opposite route to that   
along the ,bay of ,laig1 which we had   
now thrice walked over4 ,the grassy     
talus so often mentioned continues to   
run on the eastern side of the island   
for about six miles1 between the sea and
 the inaccessible rampart of precipice  

behind4 ,it varies in breadth from about
 two to four hundred yards2 the rampart 
rises over it from three to five hundred
 feet2 and a noble expanse of sea1      
closed in the distance by a still nobler
 curtain of blue hills1 spreads away    
from its base3 and it was along this    
grassy talus that our homeward road lay4
 ,let the ,edinburgh reader imagine the 
fine walk under ,salisbury ,crags       
lengthened some twenty times1--the line 
of precipices above heightened some five
 or six times1--the gravelly slope at   
the base not much increased in altitude1
 but developed transversely into a green
 undulating belt of hilly pasture1 with 
here and there a sunny slope level      
enough for the plough1 and here and     
there a rough wilderness of detached    
crags and broken banks2 let him further 
imagine the sea sweeping around the base
 of this talus1 with the nearest        
opposite land--bold1 bare and undulating
 atop--some six or eight miles distant2 
and he will have no very inadequate idea

 of the peculiar and striking scenery   
through which1 this evening1 our        
homeward route lay4 ,i have scarce ever 
walked over a more solitary tract4 ,the 
sea shuts it in on the one hand1 and the
 rampart of rocks on the other2 there   
occurs along its entire length no other 
human dwelling than a lonely summer     
shieling2 for full one-half the way we  
saw no trace of man2 and the wildness of
 the few cattle which we occasionally   
startled in the hollows showed us that  
man was no very frequent visitor among  
them4 ,about half an hour before sunset 
we reached the midway shieling4  ,rarely
 have ,i seen a more interesting spot1  
or one that1 from its utter loneliness1 
so impressed the imagination4 ,the      
shieling1 a rude low-roofed erection of 
turf and stone1 with a door in the      
centre some five feet in height or so1  
but with no window1 rose on the grassy  
slope immediately in front of the vast  
continuous rampart4 ,a slim pillar of   
smoke ascends from the roof1 in the     

calm1 faint and blue within the shadow  
of the precipice1 but it caught the     
sunlight in its ascent1 and blushed1 ere
 it melted into the ether1 a ruddy      
brown4 ,a streamlet came pouring from   
above in a long white thread1 that      
maintained its continuity unbroken for  
at least two-thirds of the way2 and     
then1 untwisting into a shower of       
detached drops1 that pattered loud and  
vehemently in a rocky recess1 it again  
gathered itself up into a lively little 
stream1 and1 sweeping past the shieling1
 expanded in front into a circular pond1
 at which a few milch cows were         
leisurely slaking their thirst4 ,the    
whole grassy talus1 with a strip mayhap 
a hundred yards wide1 of deep green sea1
 lay within the shadow of the tall      
rampart2 but the red light fell1 for    
many a mile beyond1 on the glassy       
surface2 and the distant ,cuchullin     
,hills1 so dark at other times1 had all 
their prominent slopes and jutting      
precipices tipped with bronze2 while    

here and there a mist streak1 converted 
into bright flame1 stretched along their
 peaks or rested on their sides4 ,save  
the lonely shieling1 not a human        
dwelling was in sight4 ,an island girl  
of eighteen1 more than merely           
good-looking1 though much embrowned by  
the sun1 had come to the door to see who
 the unwonted visitors might be1 and    
recognized in ,john ,stewart an old     
acquaintance4 ,john informed her in her 
own language that ,i was ,mr4 ,swanson's
 sworn friend1 and not a ,moderate1 but 
one of their own people1 and that ,i had
 fasted all day1 and had come for a     
drink of milk4 ,the name of her minister
 proved a strongly recommendatory one3  
,i have not yet seen the true ,celtic   
interjection of welcome1--the kindly ,o 
o o1--attempted on paper2 but ,i had a  
very agreeable specimen of it on this   
occasion1 viva voce4 ,and as she set    
herself to prepare for us a rich bowl of
 mingled milk and cream1 ,john and ,i   
entered the shieling4 ,there was a turf 

fire at the one end1 at which there sat 
two little girls1 engaged in keeping up 
the blaze under a large pot1 but sadly  
diverted from their work by our         
entrance2 while the other end was       
occupied by a bed of dry straw1 spread  
on the floor from wall to wall1 and     
fenced off at the foot by a line of     
stones4 ,the middle space was occupied  
by the utensils and produce of the      
dairy1--flat wooden vessels of milk1 a  
butter-churn1 and a tub half-filled with
 curd2 while a few cheeses1 soft from   
the press1 lay on a shelf above4 ,the   
little girls were but occasional        
visitors1 who had come1 out of a        
juvenile frolic1 to pass the night in   
the place2 but ,i was informed by ,john 
that the shieling had two other inmates1
 young women1 like the one so hospitably
 engaged in our behalf1 who were out at 
the milking1 and that they lived here   
all alone for several months every year1
 when the pasturage was at its best1    
employed in making butter and cheese for

 their master1 worthy ,mr4 ,m',donald of
 ,keill4 ,they must often feel lonely   
when night has closed darkly over       
mountain and sea1 or in those dreary    
days of mist and rain so common in the  
,hebrides1 when nought may be seen save 
the few shapeless crags that stud the   
nearer hillocks around them1 and nought 
heard save the moaning of the wind in   
the precipices above1 or the measured   
dash of the wave on the wild beach      
below4 ,and yet they would do ill to    
exchange their solitary life and rude   
shieling for the village dwellings and  
gregarious habits of the females who ply
 their rural labors in bands among the  
rich fields of the ,lowlands1 or for the
 unwholesome backroom and weary         
task-work of the city seamstress4 ,the  
sunlight was fading from the higher     
hill-tops of ,skye and ,glenelg as we   
bade farewell to the lonely shieling and
 the hospitable island girl4  ,the      
evening deepened as we hurried          
southwards along the scarce visible     

pathway1 or paused for a few seconds to 
examine some shattered block1 bulky as a
 ,highland cottage1 that had fallen from
 the precipice above4 ,now that the     
whole landscape lay equally in shadow1  
one of the more picturesque             
peculiarities of the continuous rampart 
came out more strongly as a feature of  
the scene than when a strip of shade    
rested along the face of the rock1      
imparting to it a retiring character1   
and all was sunshine beyond4 ,a thick   
bed of white sandstone1 as continuous as
 the rampart itself1 runs nearly        
horizontally about midway in the        
precipice for mile after mile1 and1     
standing out in strong contrast with the
 dark-colored trap above and below1     
reminds one of a belt of white hewn work
 in a basalt house front1 or            
rather1--for there occurs above a second
 continuous strip1 of an olive hue1 the 
color assumed1 on weathering by a bed of
 amygdaloid1--of a piece of dingy       
old-fashioned furniture1 inlaid with one

 stringed belt of bleached holly1 and   
another of faded green-wood4 ,at some of
 the more accessible points ,i climbed  
to the line of white belting1 and found 
it to consist of the same soft quartzy  
sandstone that in the ,bay of ,laig     
furnishes the musical sand4 ,lower down 
there occur1 alternating with the trap1 
beds of shale and of blue clay1 but they
 are lost mostly in the talus4 ,ill     
adapted to resist the frosts and rains  
of winter1 their exposed edges have     
mouldered into a loose soil1 now thickly
 covered over with herbage2 and1 but for
 the circumstance that we occasionally  
find them laid bare by a water-course1  
we would scarce be aware of their       
existence at all4 ,the shale exhibits   
everywhere1 as on the opposite side of  
the ,ru-,stoir1 faint impressions of a  
minute shell resembling a ,cyclas1 and  
ill-preserved fragments of fish-scales4 
,the blue clay ,i found at one spot     
where the pathway had cut deep into the 
hill-side1 richly charged with bivalves 

of the species ,i had seen so abundant  
in the resembling clay of the ,bay of   
,laig2 but the closing twilight         
prevented me from ascertaining whether  
it also contained the characteristic    
univalves of the deposit1 and whether   
its shells1--for they seem identical    
with those of the altered shales of the 
,ru-,stoir1--might not be associated1   
like these1 with reptilian remains4     
,night fell fast1 and the streaks of    
mist that had mottled the hills at      
sunset began to spread gray over the    
heavens in a continuous curtain2 but    
there was light enough left to show me  
that the trap became more columnar as we
 neared our journey's end4 ,one especial
 jutting in the rock presented in the   
gloom the appearance of an ancient      
portico1 with pediment and cornice1 such
 as the traveller sees on the hill-sides
 of ,petraea in front of some old tomb2 
but it may possibly appear less         
architectural by day4 ,at length1       
passing from under the long line of     

rampart1 just as the stars that had     
begun to twinkle over it were           
disappearing1 one after one1 in the     
thickening vapor1 we reached the little 
bay of ,kildonan1 and found the boat    
waiting us on the beach4 ,my friend the 
minister1 as ,i entered the cabin1      
gathered up his notes from the table1   
and gave orders for the tea-kettle2 and 
,i spread out before him--a happy       
man--an array of fossils new to ,scotch 
,geology4 ,no one not an enthusiastic   
geologist or a zealous ,roman ,catholic 
can really know how vast an amount of   
interest may attach to a few old bones4 
,has the reader ever heard how fossil   
relics once saved the dwelling of a     
monk1 in a time of great general        
calamity1 when all his other relics     
proved of no avail whatever8  ,thomas   
,campbell1 when asked for a toast in a  
society of authors1 gave the memory of  
,napoleon ,bonaparte2 significantly     
adding1 he once hung a bookseller4 ,on a
 nearly similar principle ,i would be   

disposed to propose among geologists a  
grateful bumper in honor of the         
revolutionary army that besieged        
,maestricht4 ,that city1 some           
seventy-five or eighty years ago1 had   
its zealous naturalist in the person of 
,m4 ,hoffmann1 a diligent excavator in  
the quarries of ,st4 ,peter's mountain1 
long celebrated for its extraordinary   
fossils4 ,geology1 as a science1 had no 
existence at the time2 but ,hoffmann was
 doing1 in a quiet way1 all he could to 
give it a beginning2--he was            
transferring from the rock to his       
cabinet1 shells1 and corals1 and        
crustacea1 and the teeth and scales of  
fishes1 with now and then the vertebrae1
 and now and then the limb-bone1 of a   
reptile4 ,and as he honestly remunerated
 all the workmen he employed1 and did no
 manner of harm to any one1 no one      
heeded him4 ,on one eventful morning1   
however1 his friends the quarriers laid 
bare a most extraordinary fossil1--the  
occipital plates of an enormous saurian1

 with jaws four and a half feet long1   
bristling over with teeth1 like chevaux 
de frise2 and after ,hoffmann1 who got  
the block in which it lay embedded1 cut 
out entire1 and transferred to his      
house1 had spent week after week in     
painfully relieving it from the mass1   
all ,maestricht began to speak of it as 
something really wonderful4 ,there is a 
cathedral on ,st4 ,peter's              
mountain1--the mountain itself is       
church-land2 and the lazy canon1        
awakened by the general talk1 laid claim
 to poor ,hoffmann's wonderful fossil as
 his property4 ,he was lord of the      
manor1 he said1 and the mountain and all
 that it contained belonged to him4     
,hoffmann defended his fossil as he best
 could in an expensive lawsuit2 but the 
judges found the law clean against him2 
the huge reptile head was declared to be
 treasure trove escheat to the lord of  
the manor2 and ,hoffmann1 half          
broken-hearted1 with but his labor and  
the lawyer's bills for his pains1 saw it

 transferred by rude hands from its     
place in his museum1 to the residence of
 the grasping churchman4 ,the huge      
fossil head experienced the fate of ,dr4
 ,chalmer's two hundred churches4       
,hoffmann was a philosopher1 however1   
and he continued to observe and collect 
as before2 but he never found such      
another fossil2 and at length1 in the   
midst of his ingenious labors1 the vital
 energies failed within him1 and he     
broke down and died4 ,the useless canon 
lived on4 ,the ,french ,revolution broke
 out2 the republican army invested      
,maestricht2 the batteries were opened2 
and shot and shell fell thick on the    
devoted city4 ,but in one especial      
quarter there alighted neither shot nor 
shell4 ,all was safe around the canon's 
house4 ,ordinary relics would have      
availed him nothing in the              
circumstances1--no1 not the three kings 
of ,cologne1 had he possessed the three 
kings entire1 or the jaw-bones of the   
eleven thousand virgins2 but there was  

virtue in the jaw-bones of the          
,mosasaurus1 and safety in their        
neighborhood4 ,the ,french savans1 like 
all the other savans of ,europe1 had    
heard of ,hoffmann's fossil1 and the    
,french artillery had been directed to  
play wide of the place where it lay4    
,maestricht surrendered2 the fossil was 
found secreted in a vault1 and sent away
 to the ,jardin des ,plantes at ,paris1 
maugre the canon1 to delight there the  
heart of ,cuvier2 and the ,french1      
generously addressing themselves to the 
heirs of ,hoffmann as its legitimate    
owners1 made over to them a considerable
 sum of money as its price4 ,they       
reversed the finding of the ,maestricht 
judges2 and all save the monks of ,st4  
,peter's have acquiesced in the justice 
of the decision4     ,,chapter ,,vi4    
,something for ,non-geologists--,man    
,destructive--,a ,better and ,last      
,creation coming--,a ,rainy             
,sabbath--,the ,meeting ,house--,the    
,congregation--,the ,sermon in          

,gaelic--,the ,old ,wondrous            
,story--,the      ,drunken ,minister of 
,eigg--,presbyterianism without         
,life--,dr4      ,johnson's ,account of 
the ,conversion of the ,people of       
,rum--,romanism      at ,eigg--,the ,two
 ,boys--,the ,freebooter of             
,eigg--,voyage ,resumed--,the           
,homeless ,minister--,harbor of ,isle   
,ornsay--,interesting ,gneiss           
,deposit--,a ,norwegian ,keep--,gneiss  
at ,knock--,curious                     
,chemistry--,sea-cliffs beyond          
,portsea--,the ,goblin ,luidag--,scenery
 of      ,skye4   ,i reckon among my    
readers a class of non-geologists1 who  
think my geological chapters would be   
less dull if ,i left out the geology2   
and another class of semi-geologists1   
who say there was decidedly too much    
geology in my last4 ,with the present   
chapter1 as there threatens to be an    
utter lack of science in the earlier    
half of it1 and very little1 if any1 in 
the latter half1 ,i trust both classes  

may be in some degree satisfied4 ,it    
will bear reference to but the existing 
system of things1--assuredly not the    
last of the consecutive creations1--and 
to a species of animal that1 save in the
 celebrated ,guadaloupe specimens1 has  
not yet been found locked up in stone4  
,there have been much of violence and   
suffering in the old immature stages of 
being1--much1 from the era of the       
,holoptychius1 with its sharp murderous 
teeth and strong armor of bone1 down to 
that of the cannibal ,ichthyosaurus1    
that bears the broken remains of its own
 kind in its bowels1--much1 again1 from 
the times of the crocodile of the       
,oolite1 down to the times of the fossil
 hyena and gigantic shark of the        
,tertiary4 ,nor1 ,i fear1 have matters  
greatly improved in that latest-born    
creation in the series1 that recognizes 
as its delegated lord the first tenant  
of earth accountable to his ,maker4 ,but
 there is a better and a last creation  
coming1 in which man shall re-appear1   

not to oppress and devour his           
fellow-men1 and in which there shall be 
no such wrongs perpetrated as it is my  
present purpose to record1--new heavens 
and a new earth1 wherein dwelleth       
righteousness4 ,well sung the ,ayrshire 
ploughman1 when musing on the great     
truth that the present scene of being is
 surely not the last1--a truth          
corroborated since his day by the       
analogies of a new science1--   ,the    
poor1 oppressed1 honest man1    ,had    
never sure been born1  ,had not there   
been some recompense    ,to comfort     
those that mourn4  ,it was ,sabbath1 but
 the morning rose like a hypochondriac  
wrapped up in his night-clothes1--gray  
in fog1 and sad with rain4 ,the higher  
grounds of the island lay hid in clouds1
 far below the level of the central     
hollow2 and our whole prospect from the 
deck was limited to the nearer slopes1  
dank1 brown1 and uninhabited1 and to the
 rough black crags that frown like      
sentinels over the beach4 ,now the rime 

thickened as the rain pattered more     
loudly on the deck2 and even the nearer 
stacks and precipices showed as unsolid 
and spectral in the cloud as moonlight  
shadows thrown on a ground of vapor2    
anon it cleared up for a few hundred    
yards1 as the shower lightened2 and then
 there came in view1 partially at least1
 two objects that spoke of man1--a      
deserted boat harbor1 formed of loosely 
piled stone1 at the upper extremity of a
 sandy bay2 and a roofless dwelling     
beside it1 with two ruinous gables      
rising over the broken walls4 ,the      
entire scene suggested the idea of a    
land with which man had done for        
ever2--the vapor-enveloped rocks1--the  
waste of ebb-uncovered sand1--the       
deserted harbor1--the ruinous           
house1--the melancholy rain-fretted     
tides eddying along the strip of brown  
tangle in the foreground1--and1 dim over
 all1 the thick1 slant lines of the     
beating shower6--,i know not that of    
themselves they would have furnished    

materials enough for a finished picture 
in the style of ,hogarth's ,end of all  
,things2 but right sure am ,i that in   
the hands of ,bewick they would have    
been grouped into a tasteful and poetic 
vignette4 ,we set out for church a      
little after eleven1--the minister      
encased in his ample-skirted            
storm-jacket of oiled canvas1 and       
protected atop by a genuine sou-wester1 
of which the broad posterior rim eloped 
half a yard down his back2 and ,i       
closely wrapped up in my gray maud1     
which proved1 however1 a rather         
indifferent protection against the      
penetrating powers of a true ,hebridean 
drizzle4 ,the building in which the     
congregation meets is a low dingy       
cottage of turf and stone1 situated     
nearly opposite to the manse windows4   
,it had been built by my friend1        
previous to the ,disruption1 at his own 
expense1 for a ,gaelic school1 and it   
now serves as a place of worship for the
 people4  ,we found the congregation    

already gathered1 and that the very bad 
morning had failed to lessen their      
numbers4 ,there were a few of the male  
parishioners keeping watch at the door1 
looking wistfully out through the fog   
and rain for their minister2 and at his 
approach nearly twenty more came issuing
 from the place1--like carder bees from 
their nest of dried grass and moss1--to 
gather round him1 and shake him by the  
hand4 ,the islanders of ,eigg are an    
active1 middle-sized race1 with         
well-developed heads1 acute intellects1 
and singularly warm feelings4 ,and on   
this occasion at least there could be no
 possibility of mistake respecting the  
feelings with which they regarded their 
minister4 ,rarely have ,i seen human    
countenances so eloquently vocal with   
veneration and love4 ,the gospel        
message1 which my friend had been the   
first effectually to bring home to their
 hearts1--the palpable fact of his      
sacrifice for the sake of the high      
principles which he has taught1--his own

 kindly disposition1--the many services 
which he has rendered them1 for not only
 has he been the minister1 but also the 
sole medical man1 of the ,small ,isles1 
and the benefit of his practice they    
have enjoyed1 in every instance1 without
 fee or reward1--his new life of        
hardship and danger1 maintained for     
their sakes amid sinking health and     
great privation1--their frequent fears  
for his safety when stormy nights close 
over the sea1--and they have seen his   
little vessel driven from her anchorage1
 just as the evening has fallen1--all   
these are circumstances that have       
concurred in giving him a strong hold on
 their affections4  ,the rude           
turf-building we found full from end to 
end1 and all a-steam with a particularly
 wet congregation1 some of whom1 neither
 very robust nor young1 had travelled in
 the soaking drizzle from the farther   
extremities of the island4 ,and1 judging
 from the serious attention with which  
they listened to the discourse1 they    

must have deemed it full value for all  
it cost them4 ,i have never yet seen a  
congregation more deeply impressed1 or  
that seemed to follow the preacher more 
intelligently2 and ,i was quite sure1   
though ignorant of the language in which
 my friend addressed them1 that he      
preached to them neither heresy nor     
nonsense4 ,there was as little of the   
reverence of externals in the place as  
can well be imagined3 an uneven earthen 
floor1--turf-walls on every side1 and a 
turf-roof above1--two little windows of 
four panes a-piece1 adown which the     
rain-drops were coursing thick and      
fast1--a pulpit grotesquely rude1 that  
had never employed the bred             
carpenter1--and a few ranges of seats of
 undressed deal1 such were the mere     
materialisms of this lowly church of the
 people2 and yet here1 notwithstanding1 
was the living soul of a ,christian     
community1--understandings convinced of 
the truth of the gospel1 and hearts     
softened and impressed by its power4    

,my friend1 at the conclusion of his    
discourse1 gave a brief digest of its   
contents in ,english1 for the benefit of
 his one ,saxon auditor2 and ,i found1  
as ,i had anticipated1 that what had so 
moved the simple islanders was just the 
old wondrous story1 which1 though       
repeated and re-repeated times beyond   
number1 from the days of the apostles   
till now1 continues to be as full of    
novelty and interest as ever1--,god so  
loved the world1 that he gave his only  
begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth 
on ,him should not perish1 but have     
everlasting life4 ,the great truths     
which had affected many of these poor   
people to tears1 were exactly those     
which1 during the last eighteen hundred 
years1 have been active in effecting so 
many moral revolutions in the world1 and
 which must ultimately triumph over all 
error and all oppression4 ,on this      
occasion1 as on many others1 ,i had to  
regret my want of ,gaelic4 ,it was my   
misfortune to miss being born to this   

ancient language1 by barely a mile of   
ferry4 ,i first saw light on the        
southern shore of the ,frith of         
,cromarty1 where the strait is          
narrowest1 among an old established     
,lowland community1 marked by all the   
characteristics1 physical and mental1 of
 the ,lowlanders of the southern        
districts2 whereas1 had ,i been born on 
the northern shore1 ,i would have been  
brought up among a ,celtic tribe1 and   
,gaelic would have been my earliest     
language4 ,thus distinct was the line   
between the two races preserved1 even   
after the commencement of the present   
century4  ,in returning to the ,betsey  
during the mid-day interval in the      
service1 we passed the ruinous          
two-gabled house beside the boat-harbor4
 ,during the incumbency of my friend's  
predecessor1 it had been the            
public-house of the island1 and the     
parish minister was by far its best     
customer4 ,he was in the practice of    
sitting in one of its dingy little      

rooms1 day after day1 imbibing whisky   
and peat-reek2 and his favorite boon    
companion on these occasions was a      
,roman ,catholic tenant who lived on the
 opposite side of the island1 and who1  
when drinking with the minister1 used   
regularly to fasten his horse beside the
 door1 till at length all the parish    
came to know that when the horse was    
standing outside the minister was       
drinking within4 ,in course of time1    
through the natural gravitation         
operative in such cases1 the poor       
incumbent became utterly scandalous1 and
 was libelled for drunkenness before the
 ,general ,assembly2 but1 as the island 
of ,eigg lies remote from observation1  
evidence was difficult to procure2 and  
had not the infatuated man got          
senselessly drunk one evening1 when in  
,edinburgh on his trial1 and staggered1 
of all places in the world1 into the    
,general ,assembly1 he would probably   
have died minister of ,eigg4 ,as the    
event happened1 however1 the testimony  

thus unwittingly furnished in the face  
of the ,court that tried him was deemed 
conclusive2--he was summarily deposed   
from his office1 and my friend succeeded
 him4 ,presbyterianism without the      
animating life is a poor shrunken thing3
 it never lies in state when it is dead2
 for it has no body of fine forms1 or   
trapping of imposing ceremonies1 to give
 it bulk or adornment3 without the      
vitality of evangelism it is nothing2   
and in this low and abject state my     
friend found the ,presbyterianism of    
,eigg4 ,his predecessor had done it only
 mischief2 nor had it been by any means 
vigorous before4 ,rum is one of the four
 islands of the parish2 and all my      
readers must be familiar with ,dr4      
,johnson's celebrated account of the    
conversion to ,protestantism of the     
people of ,rum4 ,the inhabitants1 says  
the ,doctor1 in his ,journey to the     
,western ,islands1 are fifty-eight      
families1 who continued ,papists for    
some time after the laird became a      

,protestant4 ,their adherence to their  
old religion was strengthened by the    
countenance of the laird's sister1 a    
zealous ,romanist2 till one ,sunday1 as 
they were going to mass under the       
conduct of their patroness1 ,maclean met
 them on the way1 gave one of them a    
blow on the head with a yellow          
stick1--,i suppose a cane1 for which the
 ,erse had no name1 and drove them to   
the kirk1 from which they have never    
departed4 ,since the use of this method 
of conversion1 the inhabitants of ,eigg 
and ,canna who continue ,papists call   
the ,protestantism of ,rum the religion 
of the yellow stick4 ,now1 such was the 
kind of ,protestantism that1 since the  
days of ,dr4 ,johnson1 had also been    
introduced1 ,i know not by what means1  
into ,eigg4 ,it had lived on the best   
possible terms with the ,popery of the  
island2 the parish minister had soaked  
day after day in the public-house with a
 ,roman ,catholic boon companion2 and   
when a ,papist man married a ,protestant

 woman1 the woman1 as a matter of       
course1 became ,papist also2 whereas1   
when it was the man who was a           
,protestant1 and the woman a ,papist1   
the woman remained what she had been4   
,roman ,catholicism was quite content   
with terms1 actual though not implied1  
of a kind so decidedly advantageous2 and
 the ,roman ,catholics used             
good-humoredly to urge on their         
neighbors the ,protestants1 that1 as it 
was palpable they had no religion of any
 kind1 they had better surely come over 
to them1 and have some4 ,in short1 all  
was harmony between the two ,churches4  
,my friend labored hard1 as a good and  
honest man ought1 to impart to          
,protestantism in his parish the        
animating life of the ,reformation2 and1
 through the blessing of ,god1 after    
years of anxious toil1 he at length     
fully succeeded4  ,i had got wet1 and   
the day continued bad2 and so1 instead  
of returning to the evening sermon1     
which began at six1 ,i remained alone   

aboard of the vessel4 ,the rain ceased  
in little more than an hour after1 and  
in somewhat more than two hours ,i got  
up on deck to see whether the           
congregation was not dispersing1 and if 
it was not yet time to hang on the      
kettle for our evening tea4 ,the        
unexpected apparition of some one aboard
 the ,free ,church yacht startled two   
ragged boys who were manoeuvring a      
little boat a stone-cast away1 under the
 rocky shores of ,eilean ,chaisteil1 and
 who1 on catching a glimpse of me1 flung
 themselves below the thwarts for       
concealment4 ,an oar dropped into the   
water2 there was a hasty arm and half a 
head thrust over the gunwale to secure  
it2 and then the urchin to whom they    
belonged again disappeared4 ,meanwhile  
the boat drifted slowly away3 first one 
little head would appear for a moment   
over the gunwale1 then another1 as if   
reconnoitering the enemy2 but ,i still  
kept my place on deck2 and at length1   
tired out1 the ragged little crew took  

to their oars1 and rowed into a shallow 
bay at the lower extremity of the glebe1
 with a cottage1 in size and appearance 
much resembling an ant-hill1 peeping out
 at its inner extremity among some      
stunted bushes4 ,i had marked the place 
before1 and had been struck with the    
peculiarity of the choice that could    
have fixed on it as a site for a        
dwelling3 it is at once the most        
inconvenient and picturesque on this    
side the island4 ,a semi-circular line  
of columnar precipices1 that somewhat   
resembles an amphitheatre turned outside
 in1--for the columns that overlook the 
area are quite as lofty as those which  
should form the amphitheatre's outer    
wall1--sweeps round a little bay1 flat  
and sandy at half-tide1 but bordered    
higher up by a dingy1 scarce passable   
beach of columnar fragments that have   
toppled from above4 ,between the beach  
and the line of columns there is a bosky
 talus1 more thickly covered with       
brushwood than is at all common in the  

,hebrides1 and scarce more passable than
 the rough beach at its feet4 ,and at   
the bottom of this talus1 with its one  
gable buried in the steep ascent1--for  
there is scarce a foot-breadth of       
platform between the slope and the      
beach1--and with the other gable        
projected to the tide-line on rugged    
columnar masses1 stands the cottage4    
,the story of the inmate1--the father of
 the two ragged boys1--is such a one as 
,crabbe would have delighted to tell1   
and as he could have told better than   
any one else4  ,he had been1 after a    
sort1 a freebooter in his time1 but born
 an age or two rather late2 and the law 
had proved over strong for him4 ,on at  
least one occasion1 perhaps             
oftener1--for his adventures are not all
 known in ,eigg1--he had been in prison 
for sheep-stealing4 ,he had the         
dangerous art of subsisting without the 
ostensible means1 and came to be feared 
and avoided by his neighbors as a man   
who lived on them without asking their  

leave4 ,with neither character nor a    
settled way of living1 his wits1 ,i am  
afraid1 must have been often whetted by 
his necessities3 he stole lest he should
 starve4 ,for some time he had resided  
in the adjacent island of ,muck2 but1   
proving a bad tenant1 he had been       
ejected by the agent of the landlord1 ,i
 believe a very worthy man1 who gave him
 half a boll of meal to get quietly rid 
of him1 and pulled down his house1 when 
he had left the island1 to prevent his  
return4 ,betaking himself1 with his     
boys1 to a boat1 he set out in quest of 
some new lodgment4 ,he made his first   
attempt or two on the mainland1 where he
 strove to drive a trade in begging1 but
 he was always recognized as the        
convicted sheep-stealer1 and driven back
 to the shore4 ,at length1 after a      
miserable term of wandering1 he landed  
in the winter season on ,eigg1 where he 
had a grown-up son1 a miller2 and1      
erecting a wretched shed with some spars
 and the old sail of a boat placed      

slantways against the side of a rock1 he
 squatted on the beach1 determined1     
whether he lived or died1 to find a home
 on the island4 ,the islanders were no  
strangers to the character of the poor  
forlorn creature1 and kept aloof from   
him1--none of them1 however1 so much as 
his own son2 and1 for a time1 my friend 
the minister1 aware that he had been the
 pest of every community among which he 
had lived1 stood aloof from him too1 in 
the hope that at length1 wearied out1 he
 might seek for himself a lodgment      
elsewhere4 ,there came on1 however1 a   
dreary night of sleet and rain1         
accompanied by a fierce storm from the  
sea2 and intelligence reached the manse 
late in the evening1 that the wretched  
sheep-stealer had been seized by sudden 
illness1 and was dying on the beach4    
,there could be no room for further     
hesitation in this case2 and my friend  
the minister gave instant orders that   
the poor creature should be carried to  
the manse4 ,the party1 however1 which he

 had sent to remove him found the task  
impracticable4 ,the night was pitch     
dark2 and the road1 dangerous with      
precipices1 and blocked up with rough   
masses of rock and stone1 they found    
wholly impassable with so helpless a    
burden4 ,and so1 administering some     
cordials to the poor1 hapless wretch1   
they had to leave him in the midst of   
the storm1 with the old wet sail        
flapping about his ears1 and the        
half-frozen rain pouring in upon him in 
torrents4 ,he must have passed a        
miserable night1 but it could not have  
been a whit more miserable than that    
passed by the minister in the manse4 ,as
 the wild blast howled around his       
comfortable dwelling1 and shook the     
casements as if some hand outside were  
assaying to open them1 or as the rain   
pattered sharp and thick on the panes1  
and the measured roar of the surf rose  
high over every other sound1 he could   
think of only the wretched creature     
exposed to the fury of a tempest so     

terrible1 as perchance wrestling in his 
death agony in the darkness beside the  
breaking wave1 or as already stiffening 
on the shore4 ,he was early astir next  
morning1 and almost the first person he 
met was the poor sheep-stealer1 looking 
more like a ghost than a living man4    
,the miserable creature had mustered    
strength enough to crawl up from the    
beach4 ,my friend has often met better  
men with less pleasure4 ,he found a     
shelter for the poor outcast2 he tended 
him1 prescribed for him1 and1 on his    
recovery1 gave him leave to build for   
himself the hovel at the foot of the    
crags4 ,the islanders were aware they   
had got but an indifferent neighbor     
through the transaction1 though none of 
them1 with the exception of the poor    
creature's son1 saw what else their     
minister could have done in the         
circumstances4 ,but the miller could    
sustain no apology for the arrangement  
that had given him his vagabond father  
as a neighbor2 and oftener than once the

 site of the rising hovel became a scene
 of noisy contention between parent and 
son4 ,some of the islanders informed me 
that they had seen the son engaged in   
pulling down the stones of the walls as 
fast as the father raised them up2 and1 
save for the interference of the        
minister1 the hut1 notwithstanding the  
permission he gave1 would scarce have   
been built4  ,on the morning of ,monday 
we unloosed from our moorings1 and set  
out with a light variable breeze for    
,isle ,ornsay1 in ,skye1 where the wife 
and family of ,mr4 ,swanson resided1 and
 from which he had now been absent for a
 full month4 ,the island diminished1 and
 assumed its tint of diluting blue1 that
 waxed paler and paler hour after hour1 
as we left it slowly behind us2 and the 
,scuir1 projected boldly from its steep 
hill-top1 resembled a sharp hatchet-edge
 presented to the sky4 ,nowhere1 said my
 friend1 did ,i so thoroughly realize   
the ,disruption of last year as at this 
spot4 ,i had just taken my last leave of

 the manse2 ,mrs4 ,swanson had staid a  
day behind me in charge of a few        
remaining pieces of furniture1 and ,i   
was bearing some of the rest1 and my    
little boy ,bill1 scarce five years of  
age at the time1 in the yacht with me to
 ,skye4 ,the little fellow had not much 
liked to part from his mother1 and the  
previous unsettling of all sorts of     
things in the manse had bred in him     
thoughts he had not quite words to      
express4 ,the further change to the     
yacht1 too1 he had deemed far from an   
agreeable one4 ,but he had borne up1 by 
way of being very manly2 and he seemed  
rather amused that papa should now have 
to make his porridge for him1 and to put
 him to bed1 and that it was ,john      
,stewart1 the sailor1 who was to be the 
servant girl4 ,the passage1 however1 was
 tedious and disagreeable2 the wind blew
 a-head1 and heart and spirits failing  
poor ,bill1 and somewhat sea-sick to    
boot1 he lay down on the floor1 and     
cried bitterly to be taken home4 ',alas1

 my boy6' ,i said1 'you have no home    
now3 your father is like the poor       
sheep-stealer whom you saw on the shore 
of ,eigg4' ,this view of matters proved 
in no way consolatory to poor ,bill4 ,he
 continued his sad wail1 ',home1 home1  
home6' until at length he fairly sobbed 
himself asleep2 and ,i never1 on any    
other occasion1 so felt the desolateness
 of my condition as when the cry of my  
boy1--',home1 home1 home6'--was ringing 
in my ears4  ,we passed1 on the one     
hand1 ,loch ,nevis and ,loch ,hourn1 two
 fine arms of the sea that run far into 
the mainland1 and open up noble vistas  
among the mountains2 and1 on the other1 
the long undulating line of ,sleat in   
,skye1 with its intermingled patches of 
woodland and arable on the coast1 and   
its mottled ranges of heath and rock    
above4 ,towards evening we entered the  
harbor of ,isle ,ornsay1 a quiet1       
well-sheltered bay1 with a rocky islet  
for a breakwater on the one side1 and   
the rudiments of a ,highland village1   

containing a few good houses1 on the    
other4 ,half a dozen small vessels were 
riding at anchor1 curtained round1      
half-mast high1 with herring nets2 and a
 fleet of herring-boats lay moored      
beside them a little nearer the shore4  
,there had been tolerable takes for a   
few nights in the neighboring sea1 but  
the fish had again disappeared1 and the 
fishermen1 whose worn-out tackle gave   
such evidence of a long-continued run of
 ill-luck1 as ,i had learned to         
interpret on the east coast1 looked     
gloomy and spiritless1 and reported a   
deficient fishery4 ,i found ,mrs4       
,swanson and her family located in one  
of the two best houses in the village1  
with a neat enclosure in front1 and a   
good kitchen-garden behind4 ,the        
following day ,i spent in exploring the 
rocks of the district1--a primary region
 with regard to organic existence1      
without form and void4 ,from ,isle      
,ornsay to the ,point of ,sleat1 a      
distance of thirteen miles1 gneiss is   

the prevailing deposit2 and in no place 
in the district are the strata more     
varied and interesting than in the      
neighborhood of ,knockhouse1 the        
residence of ,mr4 ,elder1 which ,i found
 pleasingly situated at the bottom of a 
little open bay1 skirted with           
picturesque knolls partially wooded1    
that present to the surf precipitous    
fronts of rock4 ,one insulated eminence1
 a gun-shot from the dwelling-house1    
that presents to the sea two mural      
fronts of precipice1 and sinks in steep 
grassy slopes on two sides more1 bears  
atop a fine old ruin4 ,there is a       
blind-fronted massy keep1 wrapped up in 
a mantle of ivy1 perched at the one end1
 where the precipice sinks steepest2    
while a more ruinous though much more   
modern pile of building1 perforated by a
 double row of windows1 occupies the    
rest of the area4 ,the square keep has  
lost its genealogy in the mists of the  
past1 but a vague tradition attributes  
its erection to the ,norwegians4 ,the   

more modern pile is said to have been   
built about three centuries ago by a    
younger son of ,m',donald of the ,isles2
 but it is added that1 owing to the     
jealousy of his elder brother1 he was   
not permitted to complete or inhabit it4
 ,i find it characteristic of most      
,highland traditions1 that they contain 
speeches3 they constitute true oral     
specimens of that earliest and rudest   
style of historic composition in which  
dialogue alternates with narrative4 ,my 
wise brother is building a fine house1  
is the speech preserved in this         
tradition as that of the elder son3 it  
is rather a pity for himself that he    
should be building it on another man's  
lands4 ,the remark was repeated to the  
builder1 says the story1 and at once    
arrested the progress of the work4 ,mr4 
,elder's boys showed me several minute  
pieces of brass1 somewhat resembling    
rust-eaten coin1 that they had dug out  
of the walls of the old keep2 but the   
pieces bore no impress of the dye1 and  

seemed mere fragments of metal beaten   
thin by the hammer4  ,the gneiss at     
,knock is exceedingly various in its    
composition1 and many of its strata the 
geologist would fail to recognize as    
gneiss at all4 ,we find along the       
precipices its two unequivocal          
varieties1 the schistose and the        
granitic1 passing not unfrequently1 the 
former into a true mica schist1 the     
latter into a pale feldspathose rock1   
thickly pervaded by needle-like crystals
 of tremolite1 that1 from the style of  
the grouping1 and the contrast existing 
between the dark green of the enclosed  
mineral1 and the pale flesh-color of the
 ground1 frequently furnishes specimens 
of great beauty4 ,in some pieces the    
tremolite assumes the common fan-like   
form2 in some1 the crystals1 lying at   
nearly right angles with each other1    
present the appearance of ancient       
characters inlaid in the rock2 in some  
they resemble the footprints of birds in
 a thin layer of snow2 and in one       

curious specimen picked up by ,mr4      
,swanson1 in which a dark linear strip  
is covered transversely by crystals that
 project thickly from both its sides1   
the appearance presented is that of a   
minute stigmaria of the ,coal ,measures1
 with the leaves1 still bearing their   
original green color1 bristling thick   
around it4 ,mr4 ,elder showed me1       
intercalated among the gneiss strata of 
a little ravine in the neighborhood of  
,isle ,ornsay1 a thin band of a         
bluish-colored indurated clay1 scarcely 
distinguishable1 in the hand specimen1  
from a weathered clay-stone1 but        
unequivocally a stratum of the rock4 ,i 
have found the same stone existing1 in a
 decomposed state1 as a very tenacious  
clay1 among the gneiss strata of the    
hill of ,cromarty2 and oftener than once
 had ,i amused myself in fashioning it1 
with tolerable success1 into such rude  
pieces of pottery as are sometimes found
 in old sepulchral tumuli4 ,such are a  
few of the rocks included in the general

 gneiss deposit of ,sleat4 ,if we are to
 hold1 with one of the most             
distinguished of living geologists1 that
 the stratified primary rocks are       
aqueous deposits altered by heat1 to how
 various a chemistry must they not have 
been subjected in this district6 ,in one
 stratum1 so softened that all its      
particles were disengaged to enter into 
new combinations1 and yet not so        
softened but that it still maintained   
its lines of division from the strata   
above and below1 the green tremolite was
 shooting its crystals into the pale    
homogeneous mass2 while in another      
stratum the quartz drew its atoms apart 
in masses that assumed one especial     
form1 the feldspar drew its atoms apart 
into masses that assumed another and    
different form1 and the glittering mica 
built up its multitudinous layers       
between4 ,here the unctuous chlorite    
constructed its soft felt2 there the    
micaceous schist arranged its undulating
 layers2 yonder the dull clay hardened  

amid the intense heat1 but1 when all    
else was changing1 retained its         
structure unchanged4 ,surely a curious  
chemistry1 and conducted on an enormous 
scale6  ,it had been an essential part  
of my plan to explore the splendid      
section of the ,lower ,oolite furnished 
by the line of sea-cliffs that1 to the  
north of the ,portree1 rise full seven  
hundred feet over the beach2 and on the 
morning of ,wednesday ,i set out with   
this intention from ,isle ,ornsay1 to   
join the mail gig at ,broadford1 and    
pass on to ,portree1--a journey of      
rather more than thirty miles4 ,i soon  
passed over the gneiss1 and entered on a
 wide deposit1 extending from side to   
side of the island1 of what is generally
 laid down in our geological maps as    
,old ,red ,sandstone1 but which1 in most
 of its beds1 quite as much resembles a 
quartz rock1 and which1 unlike any ,old 
,red proper ,i have ever seen1 passes1  
by insensible gradations1 into the      
gneiss4#b ,wherever it has been laid    

bare in flat tables among the heath1 we 
find it bearing those mysterious        
scratches on a polished surface which we
 so commonly find associated on the     
mainland with the boulder clay2 but     
here1 as in the ,hebrides generally1 the
 boulder clay is wanting4 ,to the tract 
of ,red ,sandstone there succeeds a     
tract of ,lias1 which1 also extending   
across the island1 forms by far the most
 largely-developed deposit of this      
formation in ,scotland4 ,it occupies a  
flat dingy valley1 about six miles in   
length1 and that varies from two to four
 miles in breadth4 ,the dreary interior 
is covered with mosses1 and studded with
 inky pools1 in which the botanist finds
 a few rare plants1 and which were      
dimpled1 as ,i passed them this morning1
 with countless eddies1 formed by       
myriads of small quick glancing trout1  
that seemed busily engaged in           
fly-catching4 ,the rock appears but     
rarely1--all is moss1 marsh1 and pool2  
but in a few localities on the          

hill-sides1 where some stream has cut   
into the slope1 and disintegrated the   
softer shales1 the shepherd finds shells
 of strange form strewed along the      
water-courses1 or bleaching white among 
the heath4 ,the valley1--evidently a    
dangerous one to the night traveller1   
from its bogs and its tarns1--is said to
 be haunted by a spirit peculiar to     
itself1--a mischievous1 eccentric1      
grotesque creature1 not unworthy1 from  
the monstrosity of its form1 of being   
associated with the old monsters of the 
,lias4 ,luidag--for so the goblin is    
called--has but one leg1 terminating1   
like an ancient satyr's1 in a cloven    
foot2 but it is furnished with two arms1
 bearing hard fists at the end of them1 
with which it has been known to strike  
the benighted traveller in the face1 or 
to tumble him over into some dark pool4 
,the spectre may be seen at the close of
 evening hopping vigorously among the   
distant bogs1 like a felt ball on its   
electric platform2 and when the mist    

lies thick in the hollows1 an occasional
 glimpse may be caught of it even by    
day4 ,but when ,i passed the way there  
was no fog3 the light1 though softened  
by a thin film of cloud1 fell equally   
over the heath1 revealing hill and      
hollow2 and ,i was unlucky enough not to
 see this goblin of the ,liasic valley4 
,a deep indentation of the coast1 which 
forms the bay of ,broadford1 corresponds
 with the hollow of the valley4 ,it is  
simply a portion of the valley itself   
occupied by the sea2 and we find the    
,lias1 from its lower to its upper beds1
 exposed in unbroken series along the   
beach4 ,in the middle of the opening    
lies the green level island of ,pabba1  
altogether composed of this formation1  
and which1 differing1 in consequence1   
both in outline and color1 from every   
neighboring island and hill1 seems a    
little bit of flat fertile ,england1    
laid down1 as if for contrast's sake1   
amid the wild rough ,hebrides4 ,of      
,pabba and its wonders1 however1 more   

anon4 ,i explored a considerable range  
of shore along the bay2 but as ,i made  
it the subject of two after explorations
 ere ,i mastered its deposits1 ,i shall 
defer my description till a subsequent  
chapter4 ,it was late this evening ere  
the post-gig arrived from the south1 and
 the night and several hours of the     
following morning were spent in         
travelling to ,portree4 ,i know not1    
however1 that ,i could have seen some of
 the wildest and most desolate tracts in
 ,skye to greater advantage4 ,there was 
light enough to show the bold outlines  
of the hills1--lofty1 abrupt1           
pyramidal1--just such hills1 both in    
form and grouping1 as a profile in black
 showed best2 a low blue vapor slept in 
the calm over the marshes at their feet2
 the sea1 smooth as glass1 reflected the
 dusk twilight gleam in the north1      
revealing the narrow sounds and deep    
mountain-girdled lochs along which we   
passed2 gray crags gleamed dimly on the 
sight2 birch-feathered acclivities      

presented against sea and sky their     
rough bristly edges2 all was vast1      
dreamy1 obscure1 like one of ,martin's  
darker pictures3 the land of the seer   
and the spectre could not have been     
better seen4 ,morning broke dim and     
gray1 while we were yet several miles   
from ,portree2 and ,i reached the inn in
 time to see from my bed-room windows   
the first rays of the rising sun        
gleaming on the hill-tops4     ,,chapter
 ,,vii4       ,exploration              
resumed--,geology of ,rasay--,an        
,illustration--,storr of                
,skye--,from ,portree to                
,holm--,discovery of ,fossils--,an      
,island      ,rain--,sir ,r4            
,murchison--,labor of drawing a         
,geological ,line--,three               
,edinburgh                              
,gentlemen--,prosopolepsia--,wrong      
surmises corrected--,the      ,mail     
,gig--,the ,portree ,postmaster--,isle  
,ornsay--,an ,old                       
,acquaintance--,reminiscences--,a ,run  

for ,rum--,semi-fossil                  
,madeira--,idling on ,deck--,prognostics
 of a ,storm--,description of      the  
,gale--,loch ,scresort--,the ,minister's
 lost ,sou-wester--,the ,free           
,church ,gathering--,the weary          
,minister4   ,i breakfasted in the      
travellers' room with three gentlemen   
from ,edinburgh2 and then1 accompanied  
by a boy1 whom ,i had engaged to carry  
my bag1 set out to explore4 ,the morning
 was ominously hot and breathless2 and  
while the sea lay moveless in the calm1 
as a floor of polished marble1 mountain 
and rock1 and distant island1 seemed    
tremulous all over1 through a wavy      
medium of thick rising vapor4 ,i judged 
from the first that my course of        
exploration for the day was destined to 
terminate abruptly2 and as my           
arrangements with ,mr4 ,swanson left me1
 for this part of the country1 no second
 day to calculate upon1 ,i hurried over 
deposits which in other circumstances ,i
 would have examined more               

carefully1--content with a glance4      
,accustomed in most instances to take   
long aims1 as ,cuddy ,headrig did1 when 
he steadied his musket on a rest behind 
the hedge1 and sent his ball through    
,laird ,oliphant's forehead1 ,i had on  
this occasion to shoot flying2 and so1  
selecting a large object for a mark1    
that ,i might run the less risk of      
missing1 ,i strove to acquaint myself   
rather with the general structure of the
 district than with the organisms of its
 various fossiliferous beds4  ,the long 
narrow island of ,rasay lies parallel to
 the coast of ,skye1 like a vessel laid 
along a wharf1 but drawn out from it as 
if to suffer another vessel of the same 
size to take her berth between2 and on  
the eastern shores of both ,skye and    
,rasay we find the same ,oolitic        
deposits tilted up at nearly the same   
angle4 ,the section presented on the    
eastern coast of the one is nearly a    
duplicate of the section presented on   
the eastern coast of the other4 ,during 

one of the severer frosts of last winter
 ,i passed along a shallow pond1 studded
 along the sides with boulder stones4   
,it had been frozen over2 and then1 from
 the evaporation so common in protracted
 frosts1 the water had shrunk1 and the  
sheet of ice which had sunk down over   
the central portion of the pond         
exhibited what a geologist would term   
very considerable marks of disturbance  
among the boulders at the edges4 ,over  
one sharp-backed boulder there lay a    
sheet tilted up like the lid of a chest 
half-raised2 and over another boulder   
immediately behind it there lay another 
uptilted sheet1 like the lid of a second
 half-open chest2 and in both sheets1   
the edges1 lying in nearly parallel     
lines1 presented a range of miniature   
cliffs to the shore4 ,now1 in the two   
uptilted ice-sheets of this pond ,i     
recognized a model of the fundamental   
,oolitic deposits ,rasay and ,skye4 ,the
 mainland of ,scotland had its          
representative in the crisp snow-covered

 shore of the pond1 with its belt of    
faded sedges2 the place of ,rasay was   
indicated by the inner1 that of ,skye by
 the outer boulder2 while the           
ice-sheets1 with their shoreward-turned 
line of cliffs1 represented the ,oolitic
 beds1 that turn to the mainland their  
dizzy range of precipices1 varying from 
six to eight hundred feet in height1 and
 then1 sloping outwards and downwards1  
disappear under mountain wildernesses of
 overlying trap4 ,and it was along a    
portion of the range of cliff that forms
 the outermost of the two uptilted      
lines1 and which presents in this       
district of ,skye a frontage of nearly  
twenty continuous miles to the long     
,sound of ,rasay1 that my to-day's      
course of exploration lay4 ,from the top
 of the cliff the surface slopes        
downwards for about two miles into the  
interior1 like the half-raised chest-lid
 of my illustration sloping towards the 
hinges1 or the uptilted ice-table of the
 boulder sloping towards the centre of  

the pond2 and the depression behind     
forms a flat moory valley1 full fifteen 
miles in length1 occupied by a chain of 
dark bogs and treeless lochans4 ,a long 
line of trap-hills rises over it1 in one
 of which1 considerably in advance of   
the others1 ,i recognized the ,storr of 
,skye1 famous among lovers of the       
picturesque for its strange group of    
mingled pinnacles and towers2 while     
directly crossing into the valley from  
the ,sound1 and then running southwards 
for about two miles along its bottom1 is
 the noble sea-arm1 ,loch ,portree1 in  
which1 as indicated by the name 7the    
,king's ,port7 a ,scottish king of the  
olden time1 in his voyage round his     
dominions1 cast anchor4 ,the opening of 
the loch is singularly majestic2--the   
cliffs tower high on either side in     
graceful magnificence3 but from the     
peculiar inward slope of the land1 all  
within1 as the loch reaches the line of 
the valley1 becomes tame and low1 and a 
black dreary moor stretches from the    

flat terminal basin into the interior4  
,the opening of ,loch ,portree is a     
palace gateway1 erected in front of some
 homely suburb1 that occupies the place 
which the palace itself should have     
occupied4  ,there was1 however1 no such 
mixture of the homely and the           
magnificent in the route ,i had selected
 to explore4 ,it lay under the          
escarpment of the cliff2 and ,i purposed
 pursuing it from ,portree to ,holm1 a  
distance of about six miles1 and then   
returning by the flat interior valley4  
,on the one hand rose a sloping rampart1
 full seven hundred feet in height1     
striped longitudinally with alternating 
bands of white sandstone and dark shale1
 and capped atop by a continuous coping 
of trap1 that lacked not massy tower1   
and overhanging turret1 and projecting  
sentry-box2 while1 on the other hand1   
spreading outwards in the calm from the 
line of dark trap-rocks below1 like a   
mirror from its carved frame of black   
oak1 lay the ,sound of ,rasay1 with its 

noble background of island and main     
rising bold on the east1 and its long   
mountain vista opening to the south4    
,the first fossiliferous deposit which  
gave me occasion this morning to use my 
hammer occurs near the opening of the   
loch1 beside an old ,celtic             
burying-ground1 in the form of a thick  
bed of hard sandstone1 charged with     
,belemnites1--a bed that must at one    
time have existed as a widely-spread    
accumulation of sand1--the bottom1      
mayhap1 of some extensive bay of the    
,oolite1 resembling the ,loch ,portree  
of the present day1 in which eddy tides 
deposited the sand swept along by the   
tidal currents of some neighboring      
sound1 and which swarmed as thickly with
 ,cephalopoda as the loch swarmed this  
day with minute purple-tinged ,medusae4 
,i found detached on the shore1         
immediately below this bed1 a piece of  
calcareous fissile sandstone1 abounding 
in small sulcated ,terebratulae1        
identical1 apparently1 with the         

,terebratula of a specimen in my        
collection from the inferior ,oolite of 
,yorkshire4 ,a colony of this delicate  
,brachiopod must have once lain moored  
near this spot1 like a fleet of         
long-prowed galleys at anchor1 each one 
with its cable of many strands extended 
earthwards from the single dead-eye in  
its umbone4 ,for a full mile after      
rounding the northern boundary of the   
loch1 we find the immense escarpment    
composed from top to bottom exclusively 
of trap2 but then the ,oolite again     
begins to appear1 and about two miles   
further on the section becomes truly    
magnificent1--one of the finest sections
 of this formation exhibited anywhere in
 ,britain1 perhaps in the world4 ,in a  
ravine furrowed in the face of the      
declivity by the headlong descent of a  
small stream1 we may trace all the beds 
of the system in succession1 from the   
,cornbrash1 an upper deposit of the     
,lower ,oolite1 down to the ,lias1 the  
formation on which the ,oolite rests4   

,the only modifying circumstance to the 
geologist is1 that though the sandstone 
beds run continuously along the cliff   
for miles together1 distinct as the     
white bands in a piece of onyx1 the     
intervening beds of shale are swarded   
over1 save where we here and there see  
them laid bare in some abrupter         
acclivity or deeper water-course4 ,in   
the shale we find numerous minute       
,ammonites1 sorely weathered2 in the    
sandstone1 ,belemnites1 some of them of 
great size2 and dark carbonaceous       
markings1 passing not unfrequently into 
a glossy cubical coal4 ,at the foot of  
the cliff ,i picked up an ammonite of   
considerable size and well-marked       
character1--the ,ammonites ,murchisonae1
 first discovered on this coast by ,sir 
,r4 ,murchison about fifteen years ago4 
,it measures1 when full grown1 from six 
to seven inches in diameter2 the inner  
whorls1 which are broadly visible1 are  
ribbed2 whereas the two1 and sometimes  
the three outer ones1 are smooth1--a    

marked characteristic of the species4   
,my specimen merely enabled me to       
examine the peculiarities of the shell  
just a little more minutely than ,i     
could have done in the pages of         
,sowerby2 for such was its state of     
decay1 that it fell to pieces in my     
hands4 ,i had now come full in view of  
the rocky island of ,holm1 when the     
altered appearance of the heavens led me
 to deliberate1 just as ,i was warming  
in the work of exploration1 whether1    
after all1 it might not be well to scale
 the cliffs1 and strike directly on the 
inn4 ,it was nearly three o'clock2 the  
sky had been gradually darkening since  
noon1 as if one thin covering of gauze  
after another had been drawn over it2   
hill and island had first dimmed and    
then disappeared in the landscape2 and  
now the sun stood up right over the     
fast-contracting vista of the ,sound1   
round and lightless as the moon in a    
haze2 and the downward cataract-like    
streaming of the gray vapor on the      

horizon showed that there the rain had  
already broken1 and was descending in   
torrents4 ,we had been thirsty in the   
hot sun1 and had found the springs few  
and scanty2 but the boy now assured me1 
in very broken ,english1 that we were to
 get a great deal more water than would 
be good for us1 and that it might be    
advisable to get out of its way4 ,and   
so1 climbing to the top of the cliffs1  
along a water-course1 we reached the    
ridge1 just as the fog came rolling     
downwards from the peaked brow of the   
,storr into the flat moory valley1 and  
the melancholy lochans roughened and    
darkened in the rain4 ,we were both     
particularly wet ere we reached         
,portree4  ,in exploring our ,scotch    
formations1 ,i have had frequent        
occasion1 in ,ross1 ,sutherland1        
,caithness1 and now once more in ,skye1 
to pass over ground described by ,sir   
,r4 ,murchison2 and in every instance   
have ,i found myself immensely his      
debtor4 ,his descriptions possess the   

merit of being true3 they are simple    
outlines often1 that leave much to be   
filled up by after discovery2 but1 like 
those outlines of the skilful geographer
 that fix the place of some island or   
strait1 though they may not entirely    
define it1 they always indicate the     
exact position in the scale of the      
formations to which they refer4 ,they   
leave a good deal to be done in the way 
of mapping out the interior of a        
deposit1 if ,i may so speak2 but they   
leave nothing to be done in the way of  
ascertaining its place4 ,the work       
accomplished is bona fide work1--actual1
 solid1 not to be done over again1--work
 such as could be achieved in only the  
school of ,dr4 ,william ,smith1 the     
father of ,english ,geology4 ,i have    
found much to admire1 too1 in the       
sections of ,sir ,r4 ,murchison4 ,his   
section of this part of the coast1 for  
example1 strikes from the extreme       
northern part of ,skye to the island of 
,holm1 thence to ,scrapidale in ,rasay1 

thence along part of the coast of       
,scalpa1 thence direct through the      
middle of ,pabba1 and thence to the     
shore of the ,bay of ,laig4 ,the line   
thus taken includes1 in regular sequence
 in the descending order1 the whole     
,oolitic deposits of the ,hebrides1 from
 the ,cornbrash1 with its overlying     
fresh-water outliers of mayhap the      
,weald1 down to where the ,lower ,lias  
rests on the primary red sandstones of  
,sleat4 ,it would have cost ,m',culloch 
less exploration to have written a      
volume than it must have cost ,sir ,r4  
,murchison to draw this single line2 but
 the line once drawn1 is work done to   
the hands of all after explorers4 ,i    
have followed repeatedly in the track of
 another geologist1 of1 however1 a very 
different school1 who explored1 at a    
comparatively recent period1 the        
deposits of not a few of our ,scotch    
counties4 ,but his labors1 in at least  
the fossiliferous formations1 seem to   
have accomplished nothing for           

,geology1--,i am afraid1 even less than 
nothing4 ,so far as they had influence  
at all1 it must have been to throw back 
the science4 ,a geologist who could have
 asserted only three years ago          
7,geognostical ,account of ,banffshire1 
#ahdb71 that the ,old ,red ,sandstone of
 ,scotland forms merely a part of the   
great coal deposit1 could have known    
marvellously little of the fossils of   
the one system1 and nothing whatever of 
those of the other4 ,had he examined ere
 he decided1 instead of deciding without
 any intention of examining1 he would   
have found that1 while both systems     
abound in organic remains1 they do not  
possess1 in ,scotland at least1 a single
 species in common1 and that even their 
types of being1 viewed in the group1 are
 essentially distinct4  ,the three      
,edinburgh gentlemen whom ,i had met at 
breakfast were still in the inn4 ,one of
 them ,i had seen before1 as one of the 
guests at a ,wesleyan soiree1 though ,i 
saw he failed to remember that ,i had   

been there as a guest too4 ,the two     
other gentlemen were altogether         
strangers to me4 ,one of them1--a man on
 the right side of forty1 and a superb  
specimen of the powerful1 six-feet      
two-inch ,norman ,celt1--,i set down as 
a scion of some old ,highland family1   
who1 as the broadsword had gone out1    
carried on the internal wars of the     
country with the formidable artillery of
 ,statute and ,decision4 ,the other1 a  
gentleman more advanced in life1 ,i     
predicated to be a ,highland proprietor1
 the uncle of the younger of the two1--a
 man whose name1 as he had an air of    
business about him1 occurred1 in all    
probability1 in the ,almanac1 in the    
list of ,scotch advocates4 ,both were of
 course high ,tories1--,i was quite sure
 of that1--zealous in behalf of the     
,establishment1 though previous to the  
,disruption they had not cared for it a 
pin's point1--and prepared to justify   
the virtual suppression of the          
toleration laws in the case of the ,free

 ,church4 ,i was thus decidedly guilty  
of what old ,dr4 ,more calls a          
prosopolepsia1--i4e4 of the crime of    
judging men by their looks4 ,at dinner1 
however1 we gradually ate ourselves into
 conversation3 we differed1 and         
disputed1 and agreed1 and then differed1
 disputed and agreed again4 ,i found    
first1 that my chance companions were   
really not very high ,tories2 and then1 
that they were not ,tories at all2 and  
then1 that the younger of the two was   
very much a ,whig1 and the more advanced
 in life1--strange as the fact might    
seem1--very considerably a ,presbyterian
 ,whig2 and finally1 that this latter   
gentleman1 whom ,i had set down as an   
intolerant ,highland proprietor1 was a  
respected writer to the signet1 a ,free 
,church elder in ,edinburgh2 and that   
the other1 his equally intolerant       
nephew1 was an ,edinburgh advocate1 of  
vigorous talent1 much an enemy of all   
oppression1 and a brother contributor of
 my own to one of the ,quarterlies4 ,of 

all my surmisings regarding the stranger
 gentlemen1 only two points held        
true1--they were both gentlemen of the  
law1 and both had ,celtic blood in their
 veins4 ,the evening passed pleasantly2 
and ,i can now recommend from           
experience1 to the hapless traveller who
 gets thoroughly wet thirty miles from a
 change of dress1 that some of the best 
things he can resort to in the          
circumstances are1 a warm room1 a warm  
glass1 and agreeable companions4  ,on   
the morrow ,i behooved to return to     
,isle ,ornsay1 to set out on the        
following day1 with my friend the       
minister1 for ,rum1 where he purposed   
preaching on the ,sabbath4 ,to have lost
 a day would have been to lose the      
opportunity of exploring the island1    
perhaps forever2 and1 to make all sure1 
,i had taken a seat in the mail gig1    
from the postman who drives it1 ere     
going to bed1 on the morning of my      
arrival2 and now1 when it drove up1 ,i  
went to take my place in it4 ,the       

postmaster of the village1 a lean1      
hungry-looking man1 interfered to       
prevent me4 ,i had secured my seat1 ,i  
said1 two days previous4 ,ah1 but ,i had
 not secured it from him4 ,i know       
nothing of you1 ,i replied2 but ,i      
secured it from one who deemed himself  
authorized to receive the fare2 was he  
so8 ,yes4 ,could you have received it8  
,no4 ,show me a copy of your            
regulations4 ,i have no copy of         
regulations2 but ,i have given the place
 in the gig to another4 ,just so2 and   
what say you1 postman8 ,that you took   
the place from me1 and that he has no   
right to give a place to any one3 ,i    
carry the ,portree letters to him1 but  
he has nothing to do with the           
passengers4 ,a person present1 the      
proprietor or stabler of the horse1 ,i  
believe1 also interfered on the same    
side2 but what ,carlyle terms the       
gigmanity of the postmaster was all at  
stake1--his whole influence in the      
mail-gig of ,portree2 and so he argued1 

and threatened withal1 and1 what was the
 more serious part of the business1 the 
person he had given the seat to had     
taken possession of the gig2 and so we  
had to compound the matter by carrying a
 passenger additional4 ,the incident is 
scarce worth relating2 but the          
postmaster was so vehement and terrible1
 so defiant of us all1--post1 stabler1  
and simple passenger1--and so justly    
impressed with the importance of being  
postmaster of ,portree1 that1 as ,i am  
in the way of describing rare specimens 
at any rate1 ,i must refer to him among 
the rest1 as if he had been one of the  
minor carnivorae of a ,skye deposit1--a 
cuttlefish1 that preyed on the weaker   
molluscs1 or a hungry polypus1 terrible 
among the animalculae4  ,we drove       
heavily1 and had to dismount and walk   
afoot over every steeper acclivity2 but 
,i carried my hammer1 and only grieved  
that in some one or two localities the  
road should have been so level4 ,i      
regretted it in especial on the southern

 and eastern side of ,loch ,sligachan1  
where ,i could see from my seat1 as we  
drove past1 the dark blue rocks in the  
water-courses on each side the road1    
studded over with that characteristic   
shell of the ,lias1 the ,gryphaea       
incurva1 and that the dry-stone fences  
in the moor above exhibit fossils that  
might figure in a museum4 ,but we       
rattled by4 ,at ,broadford1 twenty-five 
miles from ,portree1 and nine miles from
 ,isle ,ornsay1 ,i partook of a         
hospitable meal in the house of an      
acquaintance2 and in little more than   
two hours after was with my friend the  
minister at ,isle ,ornsay4 ,the night   
wore pleasantly by4 ,mrs4 ,swanson1 a   
niece of the late ,dr4 ,smith of        
,campbelton1 so well known for his      
,celtic researches and his exquisite    
translations of ancient ,celtic poetry1 
,i found deeply versed in the legendary 
lore of the ,highlands4 ,the minister   
showed me a fine specimen of            
,pterichthys which ,i had disinterred   

for him1 out of my first discovered     
fossiliferous deposit of the ,old ,red  
,sandstone1 exactly thirteen years      
before1 and full seven years ere ,i had 
introduced the creature to the notice of
 ,agassiz4 ,and the minister's daughter1
 a little chubby girl of three summers1 
taking part in the general              
entertainment1 strove to make her       
,gaelic sound as like ,english as she   
could1 in my especial behalf4 ,i        
remembered1 as ,i listened to the       
unintelligible prattle of the little    
thing1 unprovided with a word of        
,english1 that just eighteen years      
before1 her father had had no ,gaelic2  
and wondered what he would have thought1
 could he have been told1 when he first 
sat down to study it1 the story of his  
island charge in ,eigg1 and his ,free   
,church yacht the ,betsey4 ,nineteen    
years before1 we had been engaged in    
beating over the ,eathie ,lias together1
 collecting ,belemnites1 ,ammonites1 and
 fossil wood1 and striving in friendly  

emulation the one to surpass the other  
in the variety and excellence of our    
specimens4 ,our leisure hours were      
snatched1 at the time1 from college     
studies by the one1 from the mallet by  
the other3 there were few of them that  
we did not spend together1 and that we  
were not mutually the better for so     
spending4 ,i at least1 owe much to these
 hours1--among other things1 views of   
theologic truth1 that determined the    
side ,i have taken in our ecclesiastical
 controversy4 ,our courses at an after  
period lay diverse2 the young minister  
had greatly more important business to  
pursue than any which the geologic field
 furnishes2 and so our amicable rivalry 
ceased early4 ,in the words in which an 
,english poet addresses his             
brother1--the clergyman who sat for the 
picture in the ,deserted ,village1--my  
friend entered on a sacred office1 where
 the harvest is great and the laborers  
are few1 and left to me a field in which
 the laborers are many1 and the harvest 

scarce worth carrying away4  ,next day  
at noon we weighed anchor1 and stood out
 for ,rum1 a run of about twenty-five   
miles4 ,a kind friend had1 we found1    
sent aboard in our behalf two pieces of 
rare antiquity1--rare anywhere1 but     
especially rare in the lockers of the   
,betsey1--in the agreeable form of two  
bottles of semi-fossil                  
,madeira1--,madeira that had actually   
existed in the grape exactly half a     
century before1 at the time when        
,robespierre was startling ,paris from  
its propriety1 by mutilating at the neck
 the busts of other people1 and         
multiplying casts and medals of his own2
 and we found it1 explored in           
moderation1 no bad study for geologists1
 especially in coarse weather1 when they
 had got wet and somewhat fatigued4 ,it 
was like ,landlord ,boniface's ale1 mild
 as milk1 had exchanged its distinctive 
flavor as ,madeira for a better one1 and
 filled the cabin with fragrance every  
time the cork was drawn4 ,old observant 

,homer must have smelt some such liquor 
somewhere1 or he could never have       
described so well the still more ancient
 and venerable wine with which wily     
,ulysses beguiled one-eyed ,polypheme3--
                         ,unmingled     
wine1  ,mellifluous1 undecaying1 and    
divine1  ,which now1 some ages from his 
race concealed1  ,the hoary sire in     
gratitude revealed4444  ,scarce twenty  
measures from the living stream  ,to    
cool one cup sufficed3 the goblet       
crowned1  ,breathed aromatic fragrances 
around4  ,winds were light and variable4
 ,as we reached the middle of the sound 
opposite ,armadale1 there fell a dead   
calm2 and the ,betsey1 more actively    
idle than the ship manned by the        
,ancient ,mariner1 dropped sternwards   
along the tide1 to the dull music of the
 flapping sail4 ,the minister spent the 
day in the cabin1 engaged with his      
discourse for the morrow2 and ,i1 that  
he might suffer as little from          
interruption as possible1 mis-spent it  

upon the deck4 ,i tried fishing with the
 yacht's set of lines1 but there were no
 fish to bite1--got into the boat1 but  
there were no neighboring islands to    
visit1--and sent half a dozen           
pistol-bullets after a shoal of         
porpoises1 which1 coming from the ,free 
,church yacht1 must have astonished the 
fat sleek fellows pretty considerably1  
but did them1 ,i am afraid1 no serious  
damage4 ,as the evening began to close  
gloomy and gray1 a tumbling swell came  
heaving in right ahead from the west2   
and a bank of cloud1 which had been     
gradually rising higher and darker over 
the horizon in the same direction1 first
 changed its abrupt edge atop for a     
diffused and broken line1 and then      
spread itself over the central heavens4 
,the calm was evidently not to be a calm
 long2 and the minister issued orders   
that the gaff-topsail should be taken   
down1 and the storm-jib bent2 and that  
we should lower our topmast1 and have   
all tight and ready for a smart gale    

ahead4 ,at half past ten1 however1 the  
,betsey was still pitching to the swell1
 with not a breath of wind to act on the
 diminished canvas1 and with the        
solitary circumstance in her favor1 that
 the tide ran no longer against her1 as 
before4 ,the cabin was full of all      
manner of creakings2 the close lamp     
swung to and fro over the head of my    
friend2 and a refractory ,concordance1  
after having twice travelled from him   
along the entire length of the table1   
flung itself pettishly upon the floor4  
,i got into my snug bed about eleven2   
and at twelve1 the minister1 after      
poring sufficiently over his notes1 and 
drawing the final score1 turned into    
his4 ,in a brief hour after1 on came the
 gale1 in a style worthy of its previous
 hours of preparation2 and my           
friend1--his ,saturday's work in his    
ministerial capacity well over when he  
had completed his two discourses1--had  
to begin the ,sabbath morning early as  
the morning itself began1 by taking his 

stand at the helm1 in his capacity of   
skipper of the ,betsey4 ,with the       
prospect of the services of the ,sabbath
 before him1 and after working all      
,saturday to boot1 it was rather hard to
 set him down to a midnight spell at the
 helm1 but he could not be wanted at    
such a time1 as we had no other such    
helmsman aboard4 ,the gale1 thickened   
with rain1 came down1 shrieking like a  
maniac1 from off the peaked hills of    
,rum1 striking away the tops of the long
 ridgy billows that had risen in the    
calm to indicate its approach1 and then 
carrying them in sheets of spray aslant 
the furrowed surface1 like snow-drift   
hurried across a frozen field4 ,but the 
,betsey1 with her storm-jib set1 and her
 mainsail reefed to the cross1 kept her 
weather bow bravely to the blast1 and   
gained on it with every tack4 ,she had  
been the pleasure yacht1 in her day1 of 
a man of fortune1 who had used1 in      
running south with her at times as far  
as ,lisbon1 to encounter1 on not worse  

terms than the stateliest of her        
neighbors in the voyage1 the swell of   
the ,bay of ,biscay2 and she still kept 
true to her old character1 with but this
 drawback1 that she had now got somewhat
 crazy in her fastenings1 and made      
rather more water in a heavy sea than   
her one little pump could conveniently  
keep under4 ,as the fitful gust struck  
her headlong1 as if it had been some    
invisible missile hurled at us from off 
the hill-tops1 she stooped her head     
lower and lower1 like old stately       
,hardyknute under the blow of the ,king 
of ,norse1 till at length the lee       
chain-plate rustled sharp through the   
foam2 but1 like a staunch ,free         
,churchwoman1 the lowlier she bent1 the 
more steadfastly did she hold her head  
to the storm4 ,the strength of the      
opposition served but to speed her on   
all the more surely to the desired      
haven4 ,at five o'clock in the morning  
we cast anchor in ,loch ,scresort1--the 
only harbor of ,rum in which a vessel   

can moor1--within two hundred yards of  
the shore1 having1 with the exception of
 the minister1 gained no loss in the    
gale4 ,he1 luckless man1 had parted from
 his excellent sou-wester2 a sudden gust
 had seized it by the flap1 and hurried 
it away far to the lee4 ,he had yielded 
it to the winds1 as he had done the     
temporalities1 but much more            
unwillingly1 and less as a free agent4  
,should any conscientious mariner pick  
up any where in the ,atlantic a         
serviceable ochre-colored sou-wester1   
not at all the worse for the wear1 ,i   
give him to wit that he holds ,free     
,church property1 and that he is        
heartily welcome to hold it1 leaving it 
to himself to consider whether a        
benefaction to its full value1 deducting
 salvage1 is not owing1 in honor1 to the
 ,sustenation ,fund4  ,it was ten       
o'clock ere the more fatigued aboard    
could muster resolution enough to quit  
their beds a second time2 and then it   
behooved the minister to prepare for his

 ,sabbath labors ashore4 ,the gale still
 blew in fierce gusts from the hills1   
and the rain pattered like small shot on
 the deck4 ,loch ,scresort1 by no means 
one of our finer island lochs1 viewed   
under any circumstances1 looked         
particularly dismal this morning4 ,it   
forms the opening of a dreary moorland  
valley1 bounded on one of its sides1 to 
the mouth of the loch1 by a homely ridge
 of ,old ,red ,sandstone1 and on the    
other by a line of dark augitic hills1  
that attain1 at the distance of about a 
mile from the sea1 an elevation of two  
thousand feet4 ,along the slopes of the 
sandstone ridge ,i could discern1       
through the haze1 numerous green        
patches1 that had once supported a dense
 population1 long since cleared off to  
the backwoods of ,america1 but not one  
inhabited dwelling2 while along a black 
moory acclivity under the hills on the  
other side ,i could see several groups  
of turf cottages1 with here and there a 
minute speck of raw-looking corn beside 

them1 that1 judging from its color1     
seemed to have but a slight chance of   
ripening4 ,the hill-tops were lost in   
cloud and storm2 and ever and anon1 as a
 heavier shower came sweeping down on   
the wind1 the intervening hollows closed
 up their gloomy vistas1 and all was fog
 and rime to the water's edge4 ,bad as  
the morning was1 however1 we could see  
the people wending their way1 in threes 
and fours1 through the dark moor1 to the
 place of worship1--a black turf hovel1 
like the meeting-house in ,eigg4 ,the   
appearance of the ,betsey in the loch   
had been the gathering signal2 and the  
,free ,church islanders1--three-fourths 
of the entire population--had all come  
out to meet their minister4  ,on going  
ashore1 we found the place nearly       
filled4 ,my friend preached two long    
energetic discourses1 and then returned 
to the yacht1 a worn and weary man4 ,the
 studies of the previous day1 and the   
fatigues of the previous night1 added to
 his pulpit duties1 had so fairly       

prostrated his strength1 that the       
sternest teetotaller in the kingdom     
would scarce have forbidden him a glass 
of our fifty-year-old ,madeira4 ,but    
even the fifty-year-old ,madeira proved 
no specific in the case4 ,he was        
suffering under excruciating headache1  
and had to stretch himself in his bed1  
with eyes shut but sleepless1 waiting   
till the fit should pass1--every pulse  
that beat in his temples a throb of     
pain4     ,,chapter ,,viii4             
,geology of ,rum--,its curious          
,character illustrated--,rum famous for 
,bloodstones--,red                      
,sandstones--,scratchings in the        
,rocks--,a      ,geological ,inscription
 without a ,key--,the ,lizard--,vitality
 broken      into                       
two--,illustrations--,speculation--,scui
r ,more--,ascent of the                 
,scuir--,the ,bloodstones--,an          
,illustrative ,set of the               
,gem--,m',culloch's      ,pebble--,a    
,chemical ,problem--,the solitary       

,shepherd's ,house--,sheep      versus  
,men--,the ,depopulation of ,rum--,a    
,haul of ,trout--,rum ,mode of          
catching ,trout--,at ,anchor in the ,bay
 of ,glenelg4   ,the geology of the     
island of ,rum is simple1 but curious4  
,let the reader take1 if he can1 from   
twelve to fifteen trap-hills1 varying   
from one thousand to two thousand three 
hundred feet in height2 let him pack    
them closely and squarely together1 like
 rum-bottles in a case-basket2 let him  
surround them with a frame of ,old ,red 
,sandstone1 measuring rather more than  
seven miles on the side1 in the way the 
basket surrounds the bottles2 then let  
him set them down in the sea a dozen    
miles off the land1--and he shall have  
produced a second island of ,rum1       
similar in structure to the existing    
one4 ,in the actual island1 however1    
there is a defect in the inclosing      
basket of sandstone3 the basket1        
complete on three of its sides1 wants   
the fourth3 and the side opposite to the

 gap which the fourth should have       
occupied is thicker than the two other  
sides put together4 ,where ,i now write 
there is an old dark-colored picture on 
the wall before me4 ,i take off one of  
the four bars of which the frame is     
composed1--the end-bar1--and stick it on
 to the end-bar opposite1 and then the  
picture is fully framed on two of its   
sides1 and doubly framed on a third1 but
 the fourth side lacks framing          
altogether4 ,and such is the geology of 
the island of ,rum4 ,we find the one    
loch of the island1--that in which the  
,betsey lies at anchor1--and the long   
withdrawing valley1 of which the loch is
 merely a prolongation1 occurring in the
 double sandstone bar3 it seems to      
mark--to return to my illustration--the 
line in which the superadded piece of   
frame has been stuck on to the frame    
proper4 ,the origin of the island is    
illustrated by its structure3 it has    
left its story legibly written1 and we  
have but to run our eye over the        

characters and read4 ,an extended       
sea-bottom1 composed of ,old ,red       
,sandstone1 already tilted up by        
previous convulsions1 so that the strata
 presented their edges1 tier beyond     
tier1 like roofing slate laid aslant on 
a floor1 became a centre of ,plutonic   
activity4 ,the molten trap broke through
 at various times1 and presenting       
various appearances1 but in nearly the  
same centre2 here existing as an augitic
 rock1 there as a syenite1 yonder as a  
basalt or amygdaloid4 ,at one place it  
uptilted the sandstone2 at another it   
overflowed it2 the dark central masses  
raised their heads above the surface1   
higher and higher with every earthquake 
throe from beneath2 till at length the  
gigantic ,ben ,more attained to its     
present altitude of two thousand three  
hundred feet over the sea-level1 and the
 sandstone1 borne up from beneath like  
floating sea-wrack on the back of a     
porpoise1 reached in long outside bands 
its elevation of from six to eight      

hundred4 ,and such is the piece of      
history1 composed in silent but         
expressive language1 and inscribed in   
the old geological character1 on the    
rocks of ,rum4  ,the wind lowered and   
the rain ceased during the night1 and   
the morning of ,monday was clear1       
bracing1 and breezy4 ,the island of ,rum
 is chiefly famous among mineralogists  
for its heliotropes or bloodstones2 and 
we proposed devoting the greater part of
 the day to an examination of the hill  
of ,scuir ,more1 in which they occur1   
and which lies on the opposite side of  
the island1 about eight miles from the  
mooring ground of the ,betsey4 ,ere     
setting out1 however1 ,i found time     
enough1 by rising some two or three     
hours before breakfast1 to explore the  
,red ,sandstones on the southern side of
 the loch4 ,they lie in this bar of the 
frame1--to return once more to my old   
illustration1--as if it had been cut out
 of a piece of cross-grained deal1 in   
which the annular bands1 instead of     

ranging lengthwise1 ran diagonally from 
side to side2 stratum leans over        
stratum1 dipping towards the west at an 
angle of about thirty degrees2 and as in
 a continuous line of more than seven   
miles there seem no breaks or           
repetitions in the strata1 the thickness
 of the deposit must be enormous1--not  
less1 ,i should suppose1 than from six  
to eight thousand feet4 ,like the ,lower
 ,old ,red ,sandstones of ,cromarty and 
,moray1 the red arenaceous strata occur 
in thick beds1 separated from each other
 by bands of a grayish-colored          
stratified clay1 on the planes of which 
,i could trace with great distinctness  
ripple markings2 but in vain did ,i     
explore their numerous folds for the    
plates1 scales1 and fucoid impressions  
which abound in the gray argillaceous   
beds of the shores of the ,moray and    
,cromarty ,friths4 ,it would1 however1  
be rash to pronounce them               
non-fossiliferous1 after the hasty      
search of a single                      

morning1--unpardonably so in one who had
 spent very many mornings in putting to 
the question the gray stratified beds of
 ,ross and ,cromarty1 ere he succeeded  
in extorting from them the secret of    
their organic riches4  ,we set out about
 half-past ten for ,scuir ,more1 through
 the ,red ,sandstone valley in which    
,loch ,scresort terminates1 with one of 
,mr4 ,swanson's people1 a young active  
lad of twenty1 for our guide4 ,in       
passing upwards for nearly a mile along 
the stream that falls into the upper    
part of the loch1 and lays bare the     
strata1 we saw no change in the         
character of the sandstone4 ,red        
arenaceous beds of great thickness      
alternate with grayish-colored bands1   
composed of a ripple-marked micaceous   
slate and a stratified clay4 ,for a     
depth of full three thousand feet1 and  
,i know not how much more1--for ,i      
lacked time to trace it further1--the   
deposit presents no other variety3 the  
thick red bed of at least a hundred     

yards succeeds the thin gray band of    
from three to six feet1 and is succeeded
 by a similar gray band in turn4 ,the   
ripple-marks ,i found as sharply        
relieved in some of the folds as if the 
wavy undulations to which they owed     
their origin had passed over them within
 the hour4 ,the comparatively small size
 of their alternating ridges and furrows
 give evidence that the waters beneath  
which they had formed had been of no    
very profound depth4 ,in the upper part 
of the valley1 which is bare1 trackless1
 and solitary1 with a high monotonous   
sandstone ridge bounding it on the one  
side1 and a line of gloomy trap-hills   
rising over it on the other1 the edges  
of the strata1 where they protrude      
through the mingled heath and moss1     
exhibit the mysterious scratchings and  
polishings now so generally connected   
with the glacial theory of ,agassiz4    
,the scratchings run in nearly the line 
of the valley1 which exhibits no trace  
of moraines2 and they seem to have been 

produced rather by the operation of     
those extensively developed causes1     
whatever their nature1 that have at once
 left their mark on the sides and       
summits of some of our highest hills1   
and the rocks and boulders of some of   
our most extended plains1 than by the   
agency of forces limited to the         
locality4 ,they testify1 ,agassiz would 
perhaps say1 not regarding the existence
 of some local glacier that descended   
from the higher grounds into the valley1
 but respecting the existence of the    
great polar glacier4 ,i felt1 however1  
in this bleak and solitary hollow1 with 
the grooved and polished platforms at my
 feet1 stretching away amid the heath1  
like flat tombstones in a graveyard1    
that ,i had arrived at one geologic     
inscription to which ,i still wanted the
 key4 ,the vesicular structure of the   
traps on the one hand1 identical with   
that of so many of our modern           
lavas1--the ripple-markings of the      
arenaceous beds on the other1           

indistinguishable from those of the     
sea-banks on our coasts1--the upturned  
strata and the overlying trap1--told all
 their several stories of fire1 or wave1
 or terrible convulsion1 and told them  
simply and clearly2 but here was a story
 not clearly told4 ,it summoned up      
doubtful1 ever-shifting visions1--now of
 a vast ice continent1 abutting on this 
far isle of the ,hebrides from the      
,pole1 and trampling heavily over       
it1--now of the wild rush of a turbid1  
mountain-high flood breaking in from the
 west1 and hurling athwart the torn     
surface1 rocks1 and stones1 and         
clay1--now of a dreary ocean rising high
 along the hills1 and bearing onward    
with its winds and currents1 huge       
icebergs1 that now brushed the          
mountain-sides1 and now grated along the
 bottom of the submerged valleys4 ,the  
inscription on the polished surfaces1   
with its careless mixture of groove and 
scratch1 is an inscription of very      
various readings4  ,we passed along a   

transverse hollow1 and then began to    
ascend a hill-side1 from the ridge of   
which the water sheds to the opposite   
shore of the island1 and on which we    
catch our first glimpse of ,scuir ,more1
 standing up over the sea1 like a       
pyramid shorn of its top4 ,a brown      
lizard1 nearly five inches in length1   
startled by our approach1 ran hurriedly 
across the path2 and our guide1         
possessed by the general ,highland      
belief that the creature is poisonous1  
and injures cattle1 struck at it with a 
switch1 and cut it in two immediately   
behind the hinder legs4 ,the upper half1
 containing all that anatomists regard  
as the vitals1 heart1 brain1 and        
viscera1 all the main nerves1 and all   
the larger arteries1 lay stunned by the 
blow1 as if dead2 nor did it manifest   
any signs of vitality so long as we     
remained beside it2 whereas the lower   
half1 as if the whole life of the animal
 had retired into it1 continued dancing 
upon the moss for a full minute after1  

like a young eel scooped out of some    
stream1 and thrown upon the bank2 and   
then lay wriggling and palpitating for  
about half a minute more4 ,there are few
 things more inexplicable in the        
province of the naturalist than the     
phenomenon of what may be termed divided
 life1--vitality broken into two1 and   
yet continuing to exist as vitality in  
both the dissevered pieces4 ,we see in  
the nobler animals mere glimpses of the 
phenomenon1--mere indications of it1    
doubtfully apparent for at most a few   
minutes4 ,the blood drawn from the human
 arm by the lancet continues to live in 
the cup until it has cooled and begun to
 coagulate2 and when head and body have 
parted company under the guillotine1    
both exhibit for a brief space such     
unequivocal signs of life1 that the     
question arose in ,france during the    
horrors of the ,revolution1 whether     
there might not be some glimmering of   
consciousness attendant at the same time
 on the fearfully opening and shutting  

eyes and mouth of the one1 and the      
beating heart and jerking neck of the   
other4 ,the lower we descend in the     
scale of being1 the more striking the   
instances which we receive of this      
divisibility of the vital principle4 ,i 
have seen the two halves of the heart of
 a ray pulsating for a full quarter of  
an hour after they had been separated   
from the body and from each other4 ,the 
blood circulates in the hind leg of a   
frog for many minutes after the removal 
of the heart1 which meanwhile keeps up  
an independent motion of its own4       
,vitality can be so divided in the      
earthworm1 that1 as demonstrated by the 
experiments of ,spalanzani1 each of the 
severed parts carries life enough away  
to set it up as an independent animal2  
while the polypus1 a creature of still  
more imperfect organization1 and with   
the vivacious principle more equally    
diffused over it1 may be multiplied by  
its pieces nearly as readily as a       
gooseberry bush by its slips4 ,it was   

sufficiently curious1 however1 to see1  
in the case of this brown lizard1 the   
least vital half of the creature so much
 more vivacious1 apparently1 than the   
half which contained the heart and      
brain4 ,it is not improbable1 however1  
that the presence of these organs had   
only the effect of rendering the upper  
portion which contained them more       
capable of being thrown into a state of 
insensibility4 ,a blow dealt one of the 
vertebrata on the head at once renders  
it insensible4 ,it is after this mode   
the fisherman kills the salmon captured 
in his wear1 and a single blow1 when    
well directed1 is always sufficient2 but
 no single blow has the same effect on  
the earthworm2 and here it was vitality 
in the inferior portion of the          
reptile1--the earthworm portion of it1  
if ,i may so speak1--that refused to    
participate in the state of syncope into
 which the vitality of the superior     
portion had been thrown4 ,the nice and  
delicate vitality of the brain seems to 

impart to the whole system in connection
 with it an aptitude for dying          
suddenly1--a susceptibility of instant  
death1 which would be wanting without   
it4 ,the heart of the rabbit continues  
to beat regularly long after the brain  
has been removed by careful excision1 if
 respiration be artificially kept up2   
but if1 instead of amputating the head1 
the brain be crushed in its place by a  
sudden blow of a hammer1 the heart      
ceases its motion at once4 ,and such    
seemed to be the principle illustrated  
here4 ,but why the agonized dancing on  
the sward of the inferior part of the   
reptile8--why its after painful writhing
 and wriggling8 ,the young eel scooped  
from the stream1 whose motions it       
resembled1 is impressed by terror1 and  
can feel pain2 was it also impressed by 
terror1 or susceptible of suffering8 ,we
 see in the case of both exactly the    
same signs1--the dancing1 the writhing1 
the wriggling2 but are we to interpret  
them after the same manner8 ,in the     

small red-headed earthworm divided by   
,spalanzani1 that in three months got   
upper extremities to its lower part1 and
 lower extremities1 in as many weeks1 to
 its upper part1 the dividing blow must 
have dealt duplicate feelings1--pain and
 terror to the portion below1 and pain  
and terror to the portion above1--so    
far1 at least1 as a creature so low in  
the scale was susceptible of these      
feelings2 but are we to hold that the   
leaping1 wriggling tail of the reptile  
possessed in any degree a similar       
susceptibility8 ,i can propound the     
riddle1 but who shall resolve it8 ,it   
may be added1 that this brown lizard was
 the only recent saurian ,i chanced to  
see in the ,hebrides1 and that1 though  
large for its kind1 its whole bulk did  
not nearly equal that of a single       
vertebral joint of the fossil saurians  
of ,eigg4 ,the reptile1 since his       
deposition from the first place in the  
scale of creation1 has sunk sadly in    
those parts3 the ex-monarch has become a

 low plebeian4  ,we came down upon the  
coast through a swampy valley1          
terminating in the interior in a        
frowning wall of basalt1 and bounded on 
the south1 where it opens to the sea1 by
 the ,scuir ,more4 ,the ,scuir is a     
precipitous mountain1 that rises from   
twelve to fifteen hundred feet direct   
over the beach4 ,m',culloch describes it
 as inaccessible1 and states that it is 
only among the debris at its base that  
its heliotropes can be procured2 but the
 distinguished mineralogist must have   
had considerably less skill in climbing 
rocks than in describing them1 as1      
indeed1 some of his descriptions1 though
 generally very admirable1 abundantly   
testify4 ,i am inclined to infer from   
his book1 after having passed over much 
of the ground which he describes1 that  
he must have been a man of the type so  
well hit off by ,burns in his portrait  
of ,captain ,grose1--round1 rosy1       
short-legged1 quick of eye but slow of  
foot1 quite as indifferent a climber as 

,bailie ,nicol ,jarvie1 and disposed at 
times1 like the elderly gentleman drawn 
by ,crabbe1 to prefer the view at the   
hill-foot to the prospect from its      
summit4 ,i found little difficulty in   
scaling the sides of ,scuir ,more for a 
thousand feet upwards1--in one part by a
 route rarely attempted before1--and in 
ensconcing myself among the bloodstones4
 ,they occur in the amygdaloidal trap of
 which the upper part of the hill is    
mainly composed1 in great numbers1 and  
occasionally in bulky masses2 but it is 
rare to find other than small specimens 
that would be recognized as of value by 
the lapidary4 ,the inclosing rock must  
have been as thickly vesicular in its   
original state as the scoria of a       
glass-house2 and all the vesicles1 large
 and small1 like the retorts and        
receivers of a laboratory1 have been    
vessels in which some curious chemical  
process has been carried on4 ,many of   
them we find filled with a white        
semi-translucent or opaque chalcedony2  

many more with a pure green earth1      
which1 where exposed to the bleaching   
influences of the weather1 exhibits a   
fine verdigris hue1 but which in the    
fresh fracture is generally of an olive 
green1 or of a brownish or reddish      
color4 ,i have never yet seen a rock in 
which this earth was so abundant as in  
the amygdaloid of ,scuir ,more4 ,for    
yards together in some places we see it 
projecting from the surface in round    
globules1 that very much resemble green 
peas1 and that occur as thickly in the  
inclosing mass as pebbles in an ,old    
,red ,sandstone conglomerate4 ,the      
heliotrope has formed among it in       
centres1 to which the chalcedony seems  
to have been drawn1 as if by molecular  
attraction4 ,we find a mass1 varying    
from the size of a walnut to that of a  
man's head1 occupying some larger       
vesicle or crevice of the amygdaloid1   
and all the smaller vesicles around it1 
for an inch or two1 filled with what we 
may venture to term satellite           

heliotropes1 some of them as minute as  
grains of wild mustard1 and all of them 
more or less earthy1 generally in       
proportion to their distance from the   
first formed heliotrope in the middle4  
,no one can see them in their place in  
the rock1 with the abundant green earth 
all around1 and the chalcedony1 in its  
uncolored state1 filling up so many of  
the larger cavities1 without acquiescing
 in the conclusion respecting the origin
 of the gem first suggested by ,werner1 
and afterwards adopted and illustrated  
by ,m',culloch4 ,the heliotrope is      
merely a chalcedony1 stained in the     
forming with an infusion of green earth1
 as the colored waters in the           
apothecary's window are stained by the  
infusions1 vegetable and mineral1 from  
which they derive their ornamental      
character4 ,the red mottlings which so  
heighten the beauty of the stone occur  
in comparatively few of the specimens of
 ,scuir ,more4 ,they are minute         
jasperous formations1 independent of the

 inclosing mass2 and1 from their        
resemblance to streaks and spots of     
blood1 suggest the name by which the    
heliotrope is popularly known4 ,i       
succeeded in making up1 among the crags1
 a set of specimens curiously           
illustrative of the origin of the gem4  
,one specimen consists of white1        
uncolored chalcedony2 a second1 of a    
rich verdigris-hued green earth2 a      
third1 of chalcedony barely tinged with 
green2 a fourth1 of chalcedony tinged   
just a shade more deeply2 a fifth1      
tinged more deeply still2 a sixth1 of a 
deep green on one side1 and scarce at   
all colored on the other2 and a seventh1
 dark and richly toned1--a true         
bloodstone1--thickly streaked and       
mottled with red jasper4 ,in the        
chemical process that rendered the      
,scuir ,more a mountain of gems there   
were two deteriorating circumstances1   
which operated to the disadvantage of   
its larger heliotropes3 the green earth1
 as if insufficiently stirred in the    

mixing1 has gathered1 in many of them1  
into minute soft globules1 like         
air-bubbles in glass1 that render them  
valueless for the purposes of the       
lapidary1 by filling them all over with 
little cavities2 and in not a few of the
 others1 an infiltration of lime1 that  
refused to incorporate with the         
chalcedonic mass1 exists in thin glassy 
films and veins1 that1 from their       
comparative softness1 have a nearly     
similar effect with the impalpable green
 earth in roughing the surface under the
 burnisher4  ,we find figured by        
,m',culloch1 in his ,western ,islands1  
the internal cavity of a pebble of      
,scuir ,more1 which he picked up on the 
beach below1 and which had been formed  
evidently within one of the larger      
vesicles of the amygdaloid4 ,he         
describes it as curiously illustrative  
of a various chemistry2 the outer crust 
is composed of a pale-zoned agate1      
inclosing a cavity1 from the upper side 
of which there depends a group of       

chalcedonic stalactites1 some of them1  
as in ancient spar caves1 reaching to   
the floor2 and bearing on its under side
 a large crystal of carbonate of lime1  
that the longer stalactites pass        
through4 ,in the vesicle in which this  
hollow pebble was formed three          
consecutive processes must have gone on4
 ,first1 a process of infiltration      
coated the interior all around with     
layer after layer1 now of one mineral   
substance1 now of another1 as a         
plasterer coats over the sides and      
ceiling of a room with successive layers
 of lime1 putty1 and stucco2 and had    
this process gone on1 the whole cell    
would have been filled with a pale-zoned
 agate4 ,but it ceased1 and a new       
process began4 ,a chalcedonic           
infiltration gradually entered from     
above2 and1 instead of coating over the 
walls1 roof1 and floor1 it hardened into
 a group of spear-like stalactites1 that
 lengthened by slow degrees1 till some  
of them had traversed the entire cavity 

from top to bottom4 ,and then this      
second process ceased like the first1   
and a third commenced4 ,an infiltration 
of lime took place2 and the minute      
calcareous molecules1 under the         
influence of the law of crystallization1
 built themselves up on the floor into a
 large smooth-sided rhomb1 resembling a 
closed sarcophagus resting in the middle
 of some ,egyptian cemetery4 ,and then1 
the limestone crystal completed1 there  
ensued no after change4 ,as shown by    
some other specimens1 however1 there was
 a yet farther process3 a pure quartzose
 deposition took place1 that coated not 
a few of the calcareous rhombs with     
sprigs of rock-crystal4 ,i found in the 
,scuir ,more several cellular agates in 
which similar processes had gone        
on1--none of them quite so fine1        
however1 as the one figured by          
,m',culloch2 but there seemed no lack of
 evidence regarding the strange and     
multifarious chemistry that had been    
carried on in the vesicular cavities of 

this mountain1 as in the retorts of some
 vast laboratory4 ,here was a vesicle   
filled with green earth1--there a       
vesicle filled with calcareous          
spar1--yonder a vesicle crusted round on
 a thin chalcedonic shell with          
rock-crystal1--in one cavity an agate   
had been elaborated1 in another a       
heliotrope1 in a third a milk-white     
chalcedony1 in a fourth a jasper4 ,on   
what principle1 and under what          
direction1 have results so various taken
 place in vesicles of the same rock1    
that in many instances occur scarce half
 an inch apart8 ,why1 for instance1     
should that vesicle have elaborated only
 green earth1 and the vesicle separated 
from it by a partition barely a line in 
thickness1 have elaborated only         
chalcedony8 ,why should this chamber    
contain only a quartzose compound of    
oxygen and silica1 and that second      
chamber beside it contain only a        
calcareous compound of lime and carbonic
 acid8 ,what law directed infiltrations 

so diverse to seek out for themselves   
vesicles in such close neighborhood1 and
 to keep1 in so many instances1 each to 
his own vesicle8 ,i can but state the   
problem1--not solve it4 ,the groups of  
heliotropes clustered each around its   
bulky centrical mass seem to show that  
the principle of molecular attraction   
may be operative in very dense          
mediae1--in a hard amygdaloidal trap    
even2 and it seems not improbable1 that 
to this law1 which draws atom to its    
kindred atom1 as clansmen of old used to
 speed at the mustering signal to their 
gathering place1 the various chemistry  
of the vesicles may owe its variety4  ,i
 shall attempt stating the chemical     
problem furnished by the vesicles here  
in a mechanical form4 ,let us suppose   
that every vesicle was a chamber        
furnished with a door1 and that beside  
every door there watched1 as in the     
draught doors of our coal-pits1 some one
 to open and shut it1 as circumstances  
might require4 ,let us suppose further1 

that for a certain time an infusion of  
green earth pervaded the surrounding    
mass1 and percolated through it1 and    
that every door was opened to receive a 
portion of the infusion4 ,we find that  
no vesicle wants its coating of this    
earthy mineral4 ,the coating received1  
however1 one-half the doors shut1 while 
the other half remained agap1 and filled
 with green earth entirely4 ,next       
followed a series of alternate infusions
 of chalcedony1 jasper1 and quartz2 many
 doors opened and received some two or  
three coatings1 that form around the    
vesicles skull-like shells of agate1 and
 then shut2 a few remained open1 and    
became as entirely occupied with agate  
as many of the previous ones had become 
filled with green earth4 ,then an ample 
infusion of chalcedony pervaded the     
mass4 ,numerous doors again opened2 some
 took in a portion of the chalcedony1   
and then shut2 some remained open1 and  
became filled with it2 and many more    
that had been previously filled by the  

green earth opened their doors again1   
and the chalcedony pervading the green  
porous mass1 converted it into          
heliotrope4 ,then an infusion of lime   
took place4 ,doors opened1 many of which
 had been hitherto shut1 save for a     
short time1 when the green earth        
infusion obtained1 and became filled    
with lime2 other doors opened for a     
brief space1 and received lime enough to
 form a few crystals4 ,last of all1     
there was a pure quartzose infusion1 and
 doors opened1 some for a longer time1  
some for a shorter1 just as on previous 
occasions4 ,now1 by mechanical means of 
this character1--by such an arrangement 
of successive infusions1 and such a     
device of shutting and opening of       
doors1--the phenomena exhibited by the  
vesicles could be produced4 ,there is no
 difficulty in working the problem      
mechanically1 if we be allowed to assume
 in our data successive infusions1      
well-fitted doors1 and watchful         
door-keepers2 and if any one can work it

 chemically1--certainly without         
door-keepers1 but with such doors and   
such infusions as he can show to have   
existed1--he shall have cleared up the  
mystery of the ,scuir ,more4 ,i have    
given their various cargoes to all its  
many vesicles by mechanical means1 at no
 expense of ingenuity whatever4 ,are    
there any of my readers prepared to give
 it to them by means purely chemical8   
,there is a solitary house in the       
opening of the valley1 over which the   
,scuir ,more stands sentinel1--a house  
so solitary1 that the entire breadth of 
the island intervenes between it and the
 nearest human dwelling4 ,it is         
inhabited by a shepherd and his         
wife1--the sole representatives in the  
valley of a numerous population1 long   
since expatriated to make way for a few 
flocks of sheep1 but whose ranges of    
little fields may still be seen green   
amid the heath on both sides1 for nearly
 a mile upwards from the opening4 ,after
 descending along the precipices of the 

,scuir1 we struck across the valley1    
and1 on scaling the opposite slope sat  
down on the summit to rest us1 about a  
hundred yards over the house of the     
shepherd4 ,he had seen us from below1   
when engaged among the bloodstones1 and 
had seen1 withal1 that we were not      
coming his way2 and1 on hospitable      
thoughts intent1 he climbed to where we 
sat1 accompanied by his wife1 she       
bearing a vast bowl of milk1 and he a   
basket of bread and cheese4 ,and we     
found the refreshment most seasonable1  
after our long hours of toil1 and with a
 rough journey still before us4 ,it is  
an excellent circumstance1 that         
hospitality grows best where it is most 
needed4 ,in the thick of men it dwindles
 and disappears1 like fruits in the     
thick of a wood2 but where man is       
planted sparsely1 it blossoms and       
matures1 like apples on a standard or   
espalier4 ,it flourishes where the inn  
and the lodging-house cannot exist1 and 
dies out where they thrive and multiply4

  ,we reached the cross valley in the   
interior of the island about half an    
hour before sunset4 ,the evening was    
clear1 calm1 golden-tinted2 even wild   
heaths and rude rocks had assumed a     
flush of transient beauty2 and the      
emerald-green patches on the hill-sides1
 barred by the plough lengthwise1       
diagonally1 and transverse1 had borrowed
 an aspect of soft and velvety richness1
 from the mellowed light and the        
broadening shadows4 ,all was solitary4  
,we could see among the deserted fields 
the grass-grown foundations of cottages 
razed to the ground2 but the valley1    
more desolate than that which we had    
left1 had not even its single inhabited 
dwelling3 it seemed as if man had done  
with it forever4 ,the island1 eighteen  
years before1 had been divested of its  
inhabitants1 amounting at the time to   
rather more than four hundred souls1 to 
make way for one sheep-farmer and eight 
thousand sheep4 ,all the aborigines of  
,rum crossed the ,atlantic2 and at the  

close of #ahbh1 the entire population   
consisted of but the sheep-farmer1 and a
 few shepherds1 his servants2 the island
 of ,rum reckoned up scarce a single    
family at this period for every five    
square miles of area which it contained4
 ,but depopulation on so extreme a scale
 was found inconvenient2 the place had  
been rendered too thoroughly a desert   
for the comfort of the occupant2 and on 
the occasion of a clearing which took   
place shortly after in ,skye1 he        
accommodated some ten or twelve of the  
ejected families with sites for         
cottages1 and pasturage for a few cows1 
on the bit of morass beside ,loch       
,scresort1 on which ,i had seen their   
humble dwellings4 ,but the whole of the 
once-peopled interior remains a         
wilderness1 without inhabitant1--all the
 more lonely in its aspect from the     
circumstance that the solitary valleys1 
with their plough-furrowed patches1 and 
their ruined heaps of stone1 open upon  
shores every whit as solitary as        

themselves1 and that the wide untrodden 
sea stretches drearily around4 ,the     
armies of the insect world were sporting
 in the light this evening by millions2 
a brown stream that runs through the    
valley yielded an incessant popling     
sound1 from the myriads of fish that    
were ceaselessly leaping in the pools1  
beguiled by the quick glancing wings of 
green and gold that fluttered over them2
 along a distant hill-side there ran    
what seemed the ruins of a gray-stone   
fence1 erected1 says tradition1 in a    
remote age1 to facilitate the hunting of
 the deer2 there were fields on which   
the heath and moss of the surrounding   
moorlands were fast encroaching1 that   
had borne many a successive harvest2 and
 prostrate cottages1 that had been the  
scenes of christenings1 and bridals1 and
 blythe new-year's days2--all seemed to 
bespeak the place a fitting habitation  
for man1 in which not only the          
necessaries1 but also a few of the      
luxuries of life1 might be procured2 but

 in the entire prospect not a man nor a 
man's dwelling could the eye command4   
,the landscape was one without figures4 
,i do not much like extermination       
carried out so thoroughly and on        
system2--it seems bad policy2 and ,i    
have not succeeded in thinking any the  
better of it though assured by          
economists that there are more than     
people enough in ,scotland still4 ,there
 are1 ,i believe1 more than enough in   
our workhouses1--more than enough on our
 pauper-rolls1--more than enough huddled
 up1 disreputable1 useless1 and unhappy1
 in the miasmatic alleys and typhoid    
courts of our large towns2 but ,i have  
yet to learn how arguments for local    
depopulation are to be drawn from facts 
such as these4 ,a brave and hardy       
people1 favorably placed for the        
development of all that is excellent in 
human nature1 form the glory and        
strength of a country2--a people sunk   
into an abyss of degradation and misery1
 and in which it is the whole tendency  

of external circumstances to sink them  
yet deeper1 constitute its weakness and 
its shame2 and ,i cannot quite see on   
what principle the ominous increase     
which is taking place among us in the   
worse class1 is to form our solace or   
apology for the wholesale expatriation  
of the better4 ,it did not seem as if   
the depopulation of ,rum had tended much
 to any one's advantage4 ,the single    
sheep-farmer who had occupied the       
holdings of so many had been unfortunate
 in his speculations1 and had left the  
island3 the proprietor1 his landlord1   
seemed to have been as little fortunate 
as the tenant1 for the island itself was
 in the market2 and a report went       
current at the time1 that it was on the 
eve of being purchased by some wealthy  
,englishman1 who purposed converting it 
into a deer-forest4 ,how strange a      
cycle6 ,uninhabited originally save by  
wild animals1 it became at an early     
period a home of men1 who1 as the gray  
wall on the hill-side testified1        

derived1 in part at least1 their        
sustenance from the chase4 ,they broke  
in from the waste the furrowed patches  
on the slopes of the valleys1--they     
reared herds of cattle and flocks of    
sheep1--their number increased to nearly
 five hundred souls1--they enjoyed the  
average happiness of human creatures in 
the present imperfect state of          
being1--they contributed their portion  
of hardy and vigorous manhood to the    
armies of the country1--and a few of    
their more adventurous spirits1         
impatient of the narrow bounds which    
confined them1 and a course of life     
little varied by incident1 emigrated to 
,america4 ,then came the change of      
system so general in the ,highlands2 and
 the island lost all its original       
inhabitants1 on a wool and mutton       
speculation1--inhabitants1 the          
descendants of men who had chased the   
deer on its hills five hundred years    
before1 and who1 though they recognized 
some wild island lord as their superior1

 and did him service1 had regarded the  
place as indisputably their own4 ,and   
now yet another change was on the eve of
 ensuing1 and the island was to return  
to its original state1 as a home of wild
 animals1 where a few hunters from the  
mainland might enjoy the chase for a    
month or two every twelvemonth1 but     
which could form no permanent place of  
human abode4 ,once more1 a strange and  
surely most melancholy cycle6  ,there   
was light enough left1 as we reached the
 upper part of ,loch ,scresort1 to show 
us a shoal of small silver-coated trout1
 leaping by scores at the effluence of  
the little stream along which we had set
 out in the morning on our expedition4  
,there was a net stretched across where 
the play was thickest2 and we learned   
that the haul of the previous tide had  
amounted to several hundreds4 ,on       
reaching the ,betsey1 we found a pail   
and basket laid against the             
companion-head1--the basket containing  
about two dozen small trout1--the       

minister's unsolicited teind of the     
morning draught2 the pail filled with   
razor-fish of great size4 ,the people of
 my friend are far from wealthy2 there  
is scarce any circulating medium in     
,rum2 and the cottars in ,eigg contrive 
barely enough to earn at the harvest in 
the ,lowlands money sufficient to clear 
with their landlord at rent-day4 ,their 
contributions for ecclesiastical        
purposes make no great figure1          
therefore1 in the lists of the          
,sustentation ,fund4 ,but of what they  
have they give willingly and in a kindly
 spirit2 and if baskets of small trout1 
or pailfuls of spout-fish1 went current 
in the ,free ,church1 there would1 ,i am
 certain1 be a per centage of both the  
fish and the mollusc1 derived from the  
,small ,isles1 in the half-yearly       
sustentation dividends4 ,we found the   
supply of both1--especially as          
provisions were beginning to run short  
in the lockers of the ,betsey1--quite   
deserving of our gratitude4 ,the        

razor-fish had been brought us by the   
worthy catechist of the island4 ,he had 
gone to the ebb in our special behalf1  
and had spent a tide in laboriously     
filling the pail with these treasures   
hid in the sand2 thoroughly aware1 like 
the old exiled puritan1 who eked out his
 meals in a time of scarcity with the   
oysters of ,new ,england1 that even the 
razor-fish1 under this head1 is included
 in the promises4 ,there is a           
peculiarity in the razor-fish of ,rum   
that ,i have not marked in the          
razor-fish of our eastern coasts4 ,the  
gills of the animal1 instead of bearing 
the general color of its other parts1   
like those of the oyster1 are of a deep 
green color1 resembling1 when examined  
by the microscope1 the fringe of a green
 curtain4  ,we were told by ,john       
,stewart1 that the expatriated          
inhabitants of ,rum used to catch trout 
by a simple device of ancient standing1 
which preceded the introduction of nets 
into the island1 and which1 it is       

possible1 may in other localities have  
not only preceded the use of the net1   
but may have also suggested it3 it had  
at least the appearance of being a first
 beginning of invention in this         
direction4 ,the islanders gathered large
 quantities of heath1 and then tying it 
loosely into bundles1 and stripping it  
of its softer leafage1 they laid the    
bundles across the stream on a little   
mound held down by stones1 with the tops
 of the heath turned upwards to the     
current4 ,the water rose against the    
mound for a foot or eighteen inches1 and
 then murmured over and through1        
occasioning an expansion among the hard 
elastic sprays4 ,next a party of the    
islanders came down the stream1 beating 
the banks and pools1 and sending a still
 thickening shoal of trout before them1 
that1 on reaching the miniature dam     
formed by the bundles1 darted forward   
for shelter1 as if to a hollow bank1 and
 stuck among the slim hard branches1 as 
they would in the meshes of a net4 ,the 

stones were then hastily thrown         
off1--the bundles pitched ashore1--the  
better fish1 to the amount not          
unfrequently of several scores1         
secured1--and the young fry returned to 
the stream1 to take care of themselves1 
and grow bigger4 ,we fared richly this  
evening1 after our hard day's labor1 on 
tea and trout2 and as the minister had  
to attend a meeting of the ,presbytery  
of ,skye on the following ,wednesday1 we
 sailed next morning for ,glenelg1      
whence he purposed taking the steamer   
for ,portree4 ,winds were light and     
baffling1 and the currents1 like        
capricious friends1 neutralized at one  
time the assistance which they lent us  
at another4 ,it was dark night ere we   
had passed ,isle ,ornsay1 and morning   
broke as we cast anchor in the ,bay of  
,glenelg4 ,at ten o'clock the steamer   
heaved-to in the bay to land a few      
passengers1 and the minister went on    
board1 leaving me in charge of the      
,betsey1 to follow him1 when the tide   

set in1 through the ,kyles of ,skye4    
,,chapter ,,ix4       ,kyles of         
,skye--,a ,gneiss ,district--,kyle      
,rhea--,a ,boiling ,tide--,a      ,take 
of ,sillocks--,the ,betsey's ,paces--,in
 the ,bay at                            
,broadford--,rain--,island of           
,pabba--,description of the             
,island--,its      ,geological          
,structure--,astrea--,polypifers--,gryph
aea incurva--,three      groups of      
,fossils in the ,lias of                
,skye--,abundance of the                
,petrifactions of                       
,pabba--,scenery--,pabba a piece of     
smooth1 level      ,england--,fossil    
,shells of ,pabba--,voyage              
resumed--,kyle ,akin--,ruins      of    
,castle ,maoil--,a ,thornback           
,dinner--,the ,bunch of ,deep ,sea      
,tangle--,the ,caileach ,stone--,kelp   
,furnaces--,escape of the ,betsey       
from sinking4   ,no sailing vessel      
attempts threading the ,kyles of ,skye  
from the south in the face of an adverse

 tide4 ,the currents of ,kyle ,rhea care
 little for the wind-filled sail1 and   
battle at times1 on scarce unequal      
terms1 with the steam-propelled paddle4 
,the ,toward ,castle this morning had   
such a struggle to force her way        
inwards1 as may be seen maintained at   
the door of some place of public meeting
 during the heat of some agitating      
controversy1 when seat and passage      
within can hold no more1 and a          
disappointed crowd press eagerly for    
admission from without4 ,viewed from the
 anchoring place at ,glenelg1 the       
opening of the ,kyle presents the       
appearance of the bottom of a landlocked
 bay2--the hills of ,skye seem leaning  
against those of the mainland3 and the  
tide-buffeted steamer looked this       
morning as if boring her way into the   
earth1 like a disinterred mole1 only at 
a rate vastly slower4 ,first1 however1  
with a progress resembling that of the  
minute-hand of a clock1 the bows        
disappeared amid the heath1 then the    

midships1 then the quarter-deck and     
stern1 and then1 last of all1 the red   
tip of the sun-brightened union-jack    
that streamed gaudily behind4 ,i had at 
least two hours before me ere the       
,betsey might attempt weighing anchor2  
and1 that they might leave some mark1 ,i
 went and spent them ashore in the      
opening of ,glenelg1--a gneiss district1
 nearly identical in structure with the 
district of ,knock and ,isle ,ornsay4   
,the upper part of the valley is bare   
and treeless1 but not such its character
 where it opens to the sea2 the hills   
are richly wooded2 and cottages1 and    
cornfields1 with here and there a reach 
of the lively little river1 peep out    
from among the trees4 ,a group of tall  
roofless buildings1 with a strong wall  
in front1 form the central point in the 
landscape2 these are the dismantled     
,berera ,barracks1 built1 like the line 
of forts in the great ,caledonian       
,valley1--,fort ,george1 ,fort          
,augustus1 and ,fort ,william1--to      

overawe the ,highlands at a time when   
the loyalty of the ,highlander pointed  
to a king beyond the water2 but all use 
for them has long gone by1 and they now 
lie in dreary ruin1--mere sheltering    
places for the toad and the bat4 ,i     
found in a loose silt on the banks of   
the river1 at some little distance below
 tide-mark1 a bed of shells and coral1  
which might belong1 ,i at first         
supposed1 to some secondary formation1  
but which ,i ascertained1 on            
examination1 to be a mere recent        
deposit1 not so old by many centuries as
 our last raised sea-beaches4 ,there    
occurs in various localities on these   
western coasts1 especially on the shores
 of the island of ,pabba1 a sprig coral1
 considerably larger in size than any ,i
 have elsewhere seen in ,scotland2 and  
it was from its great abundance in this 
bed of silt that ,i was at first led to 
deem the deposit an ancient one4  ,we   
weighed anchor about noon1 and entered  
the opening of ,kyle ,rhea4 ,vessel     

after vessel1 to the number of eight or 
ten in all1 had been arriving in the    
course of the morning1 and dropping     
anchor1 nearer the opening or farther   
away1 each according to its sailing     
ability1 to await the turn of the tide2 
and we now found ourselves one of the   
components of a little fleet1 with some 
five or six vessels sweeping up the     
,kyle before us1 and some three or four 
driving on behind4 ,never1 except       
perhaps in a ,highland river big in     
flood1 have ,i seen such a tide4 ,it    
danced and wheeled1 and came boiling in 
huge masses from the bottom2 and now our
 bows heaved abruptly round in one      
direction1 and now they jerked as       
suddenly round in another2 and1 though  
there blew a moderate breeze at the     
time1 the helm failed to keep the sails 
steadily full4 ,but whether our sheets  
bellied out1 or flapped right in the    
wind's eye1 on we swept in the tideway1 
like a cork caught during a thunder     
shower in one of the rapids of the ,high

 ,street4 ,at one point the ,kyle is    
little more than a quarter of a mile in 
breadth2 and here1 in the powerful eddy 
which ran along the shore1 we saw a     
group of small fishing-boats pursuing a 
shoal of sillocks in a style that blent 
all the liveliness of the chase with the
 specific interest of the angle4 ,the   
shoal1 restless as the tides among which
 it disported1 now rose in the boilings 
of one eddy1 now beat the water into    
foam amid the stiller dimplings of      
another4 ,the boats hurried from spot to
 spot wherever the quick glittering     
scales appeared4 ,for a few seconds1    
rods would be cast thick and fast1 as if
 employed in beating the water1 and     
captured fish glanced bright to the sun2
 and then the take would cease1 and the 
play rise elsewhere1 and oars would     
flash out amain1 as the little fleet    
again dashed into the heart of the      
shoal4 ,as the ,kyle widened1 the force 
of the current diminished1 and sail and 
helm again became things of positive    

importance4 ,the wind blew a-head1      
steady though not strong2 and the       
,betsey1 with companions in the voyage  
against which to measure herself1 began 
to show her paces4 ,first she passed one
 bulky vessel1 then another3 she lay    
closer to the wind than any of her      
fellows1 glided more quickly through the
 water1 turned in her stays like ,lady  
,betty in a minuet2 and1 ere we had     
reached ,kyle ,akin1 the fleet in the   
middle of which we had started were     
toiling far behind us1 all save one     
vessel1 a stately brig2 and just as we  
were going to pass her too1 she cast    
anchor1 to await the change of the tide1
 which runs from the west during flood  
at ,kyle ,akin1 as it runs from the east
 through ,kyle ,rhea4 ,the wind had     
freshened2 and as it was now within two 
hours of full sea1 the force of the     
current had somewhat abated2 and so we  
kept on our course1 tacking in scant    
room1 however1 and making but little    
way4 ,a few vessels attempted following 

us1 but1 after an inefficient tack or   
two1 they fell back on the anchoring    
ground1 leaving the ,betsey to buffet   
the currents alone4 ,tack followed tack 
sharp and quick in the narrows1 with an 
iron-bound coast on either hand4 ,we had
 frequent and delicate turning3 now we  
lost fifty yards1 now we gained a       
hundred4 ,john ,stewart held the helm2  
and as none of us had ever sailed the   
way before1 ,i had the vessel's chart   
spread out on the companion-head before 
me1 and told him when to wear and when  
to hold on his way1--at what places we  
might run up almost to the rock edge1   
and at what places it was safest to give
 the land a good offing4 ,hurrah for the
 ,free ,church yacht ,betsey6 and hurrah
 once more6 ,we cleared the ,kyle1      
leaving a whole fleet tide-bound behind 
us2 and1 stretching out at one long tack
 into the open sea1 bore1 at the next1  
right into the bay at ,broadford1 where 
we cast anchor for the night1 within two
 hundred yards of the shore4 ,provisions

 were running short2 and so ,i had to   
make a late dinner this evening on some 
of the razor-fish of ,rum1 topped by a  
dish of tea4 ,but there is always rather
 more appetite than food in the         
country2--such1 at least1 is the common 
result under the present mode of        
distribution3 the hunger overlaps and   
outstretches the provision2 and there   
was comfort in the reflection1 that with
 the razor-fish on which to fall back1  
it overlapped it but by a very little on
 this occasion in the cabin of the      
,betsey4 ,the steam-boat passed         
southwards next morning1 and ,i was     
joined by my friend the minister a      
little before breakfast4  ,the day was  
miserably bad3 the rain continued       
pattering on the skylight1 now lighter1 
now heavier1 till within an hour of     
sunset1 when it ceased1 and a light     
breeze began to unroll the thick fogs   
from off the landscape1 volume after    
volume1 like coverings from off a       
mummy1--leaving exposed in the valley of

 the ,lias a brown and cheerless        
prospect of dark bogs and of            
debris-covered hills1 streaked this     
evening with downward lines of foam4    
,the seaward view is more pleasing4 ,the
 deep russet of the interior we find    
bordered for miles along the edge of the
 bay with a many-shaded fringe of green2
 and the smooth grassy island of ,pabba 
lies in the midst1 a polished gem1 all  
the more advantageously displayed from  
the roughness of the surrounding        
setting4 ,we took boat1 and explored the
 ,lias in our immediate neighborhood    
till dusk4 ,i had spent several hours   
among its deposits when on my way to    
,portree1 and several hours more when on
 my journey across the country to the   
east coast2 but it may be well1 for the 
sake of maintaining some continuity of  
description1 to throw together my       
various observations on the formation1  
as if made at one time1 and to connect  
them with my exploration of ,pabba1     
which took place on the following       

morning4 ,the rocks of ,pabba belong to 
the upper part of the ,lias2 while the  
lower part may be found leaning to the  
south1 towards the ,red ,sandstones of  
the ,bay of ,lucy4 ,taking what seems to
 be the natural order1 ,i shall begin   
with the base of the formation first4   
,in the general indentation of the      
coast1 in the opening of which the      
island of ,pabba lies somewhat like a   
long green steam-boat at anchor1 there  
is included a smaller indentation1 known
 as the ,bay or ,cove of ,lucy4 ,the    
central space in the cove is soft and   
gravelly2 but on both its sides it is   
flanked by low rocks1 that stretch out  
into the sea in long rectilinear lines1 
like the foundations of dry-stone       
fences4 ,on the south side the rocks are
 red2 on the north they are of a        
bluish-gray color2 their hues are as    
distinct as those of the colored patches
 in a map2 and they represent geological
 periods that lie widely apart4 ,the red
 rocks we find laid down in most of our 

maps as ,old ,red1 though ,i am disposed
 to regard them as of a much higher     
antiquity than even that ancient system2
 while the bluish-gray rocks are        
decidedly ,liasic4#c ,the cove between  
represents a deep ditch-like hollow1    
which occurs in ,skye1 both in the      
interior and on the sea-shore1 in the   
line of boundary betwixt the ,red       
,sandstone and the ,lias2 and it seems  
to have originated1 says ,m',culloch1 in
 the decomposition of the exposed parts 
of the formations at their junction4    
,hence1 he adds1 from the wearing of the
 materials at the surface1 a cavity has 
been produced1 which becoming           
subsequently filled with rubbish1 and   
generally covered over with a vegetable 
soil of unusual depth1 effectually      
prevents a view of the contiguous parts4
 ,the first strata exposed on the       
northern side are the oldest ,liasic    
rocks anywhere seen in ,scotland4 ,they 
are composed chiefly of greenish-colored
 fissile sandstones and calciferous     

grits1 in which we meet a few fossils1  
very imperfectly preserved4 ,but the    
organisms increase as we go on4 ,we see 
in passing1 near a picturesque little   
cottage1--the only one on the shores of 
the bay1--a crag of a singularly rough  
appearance1 that projects mole-like from
 the sward upon the beach1 and then     
descending abruptly to the level of the 
other strata1 runs out in a long ragged 
line into the sea4 ,the stratum1 from   
two to three feet in thickness1 of which
 it is formed1 seems wholly built up of 
irregularly-formed rubbly concretions1  
just as some of the garden-walls in the 
neighborhood of ,edinburgh are built of 
the rough scoria of our glass-houses2   
and we find1 on examination1 that every 
seeming concretion in the bed is a      
perfectly formed coral of the genus     
,astrea4 ,we have arrived at an entire  
bed of corals1 all of one species4      
,their surfaces1 wherever they have been
 washed by the sea1 are of great beauty3
 nothing can be more irregular than the 

outline of each mass1 and yet scarce    
anything more regular than the          
sculpturings on every part of it4 ,we   
find them fretted over with polygons1   
like those of a honeycomb1 only somewhat
 less mathematically exact1 and the     
centre of every polygon contains its    
many-rayed star4 ,it is difficult to    
distinguish between species in some of  
the divisions of corals3 one ,astrea1   
recent or extinct1 is sometimes found so
 exceedingly like another of some very  
different formation or period1 that the 
more modern might almost be deemed a    
lineal descendant of the more ancient   
species4 ,with an eye to the fact1 ,i   
brought with me some characteristic     
specimens of this ,astrea#d of the      
,lower ,lias1 which ,i have ranged side 
by side with the ,astreae of the ,oolite
 ,i had found so abundant a twelvemonth 
before in the neighborhood of           
,helmsdale4 ,in some of the hand        
specimens1 that present merely a piece  
of polygonal surface1 bounded by        

fractured sides1 the difference is not  
easily distinguishable3 the polygonal   
depressions are generally smaller in the
 ,oolitic species1 and shallower in the 
,liasic one2 but not unfrequently these 
differences disappear1 and it is only   
when compared in the entire unbroken    
coral that their specific peculiarities 
acquire the necessary prominence4 ,the  
,oolitic ,astrea is of much greater size
 than the ,liasic one3 it occurs not    
unfrequently in masses of from two to   
three feet in diameter2 and as its      
polygons are tubes that converge to the 
footstalk on which it originally formed1
 it presents in the average outline a   
fungous-like appearance2 whereas in the 
smaller ,liasic coral1 which rarely     
exceeds a foot in diameter1 there is no 
such general convergency of the tubes2  
and the form in one piece1 save that    
there is a certain degree of flatness   
common to all1 bears no resemblance to  
the form in another4 ,some of the recent
 ,astreae are of great beauty when      

inhabited by the living zoophites whose 
skeleton framework they compose4 ,every 
polygonal star in the mass is the house 
of a separate animal1 that1 when        
withdrawn into its cell1 presents the   
appearance of a minute flower1 somewhat 
like a daisy stuck flat to the surface1 
and that1 when stretched out1 resembles 
a small round tower1 with a garland of  
leaves bound round it atop for a        
cornice4 ,the ,astrea viridis1 a coral  
of the tropics1 presents on a ground of 
velvety brown myriads of deep green     
florets1 that ever and anon start up    
from the level in their tower-like      
shape1 contract and expand their petals1
 and then1 shrinking back into their    
cells1 straightway became florets again4
 ,the ,lower ,lias presented in one of  
its opening scenes1 in this part of the 
world1 appearances of similar beauty    
widely spread4 ,for miles together1--we 
know not how many1--the bottom of a     
clear shallow sea was paved with living 
,astreae3 every irregular rock-like     

coral formed a separate colony of       
polypora1 that1 when in motion1         
presented the appearance of continuous  
masses of many-colored life1 and when at
 rest1 the places they occupied were    
more thickly studded with the living    
florets than the richest and most       
flowery piece of pasture the reader ever
 saw1 with its violets or its daisies4  
,and mile beyond mile this scene of     
beauty stretched on through the shallow 
depths of the ,liasic sea4 ,the         
calcareous framework of most of the     
recent ,astreae are white2 but in the   
species referred to1--the ,astrea       
viridis1--it is of a dark-brown color4  
,it is not unworthy of remark1 in       
connection with these facts1 that the   
,oolitic ,astrea of ,helmsdale occurs as
 a white1 or1 when darkest1 as a        
cream-colored petrifaction2 whereas the 
,liasic ,astrea of ,skye is invariably  
of a deep earthy hue4 ,the one was      
probably a white1 the other a           
dingy-colored coral4  ,the ,liasic bed  

of ,astreae existed long enough here to 
attain a thickness of from two to three 
feet4 ,mass rose over mass1--the living 
upon the dead1--till at length1 by a    
deposit of mingled mud and sand1--the   
effect1 mayhap1 of some change of       
currents1 induced we know not how1--the 
innumerable polypedes of the living     
surface were buried up and killed1 and  
then1 for many yards1 layer after layer 
of a calciferous grit was piled over    
them4 ,the fossils of the grit are few  
and ill preserved2 but we occasionally  
find in it a coral similar to the       
,astrea of the bed below1 and1 a little 
higher up1 in an impure limestone1      
specimens1 in rather indifferent        
keeping1 of a genus of polypifer which  
somewhat resembles the ,turbinolia of   
the ,mountain ,limestone4 ,it presents  
in the cross section the same radiated  
structure as the ,turbinolia fungites1  
and nearly the same furrowed appearance 
in the longitudinal one2 but1 seen in   
the larger specimens1 we find that it   

was a branched coral1 with obtuse forky 
boughs1 in each of which1 it is         
probable1 from their general structure1 
there lived a single polype4 ,it may    
have been the resemblance which these   
bear1 when seen in detached branches1 to
 the older ,caryophyllia1 taken in      
connection with the fact that the       
deposit in which they occur rests on the
 ancient ,red ,sandstone of the         
district1 that led ,m',culloch to       
question whether this fossiliferous     
formation had not nearly as clear a     
claim to be regarded as an analogue of  
the ,carboniferous ,limestone of        
,england as of its ,lias2 and hence he  
contented himself with terming it simply
 the ,gryphite ,limestone4 ,sir ,r4     
,murchison1 whose much more close and   
extensive acquaintance with fossils     
enabled him to assign to the deposit its
 true place1 was struck1 however1 with  
the general resemblance of its          
polypifers to those of the ,madreporite 
,limestone of the ,carboniferous series4

 ,these polypifers occur in only the    
lower ,lias of ,skye4#e ,i found no     
corals in its higher beds1 though these 
are charged with other fossils1 more    
characteristic of the formation1 in vast
 abundance4 ,in not a few of the middle 
strata1 composed of a mud-colored       
fissile sandstone1 the gryphites lie as 
thickly as currants in a ,christmas     
cake2 and as they weather white1 while  
the stone in which they are embedded    
retains its dingy hue1 they somewhat    
remind one of the white-lead tears of   
the undertaker mottling a hatchment of  
sable4 ,in a fragment of the dark       
sandstone1 six inches by seven1 which ,i
 brought with me1 ,i reckon no fewer    
than twenty-two gryphites2 and it forms 
but an average specimen of the bed from 
which ,i detached it4 ,by far the most  
abundant species is that not inelegant  
shell so characteristic of the          
formation1 the ,gryphaea incurva4 ,we   
find detached specimens scattered over  
the beach by hundreds1 mixed up with the

 remains of recent shells1 as if the    
,gryphaea incurva were a recent shell   
too4 ,they lie1 bleached white by the   
weather1 among the valves of defunct    
oysters and dead buccinidae2 and1 from  
their resemblance to lamps cast in the  
classic model1 remind one1 in the       
corners where they have accumulated most
 thickly1 of the old magician's stock in
 trade1 who wiled away the lamp of      
,aladdin from ,aladdin's simple wife4   
,the ,gryphaea obliquita and ,gryphaea  
,m',cullochii also occur among these    
middle strata of the ,lias1 though much 
less frequently than the other4 ,we1    
besides1 found in them at least two     
species of ,pecten1 with two species of 
,terebratula1--the one smooth1 the other
 sulcated2 a bivalve resembling a       
,donax2 another bivalve1 evidently a    
,gervillia1 though apparently of a      
species not yet described2 and the      
ill-preserved rings of large ,ammonites1
 from ten inches to a foot in diameter4 
,towards the bottom of the bay the      

fossils again become more rare1 though  
they re-appear once more in considerable
 abundance as we pass along its northern
 side2 but in order to acquaint         
ourselves with the upper organisms of   
the formation1 we have to take boat and 
explore the northern shores of ,pabba4  
,the ,lias of ,skye has its three       
distinct groups of fossils3 its lower   
coraline group1 in which the ,astrea    
described is most abundant2 its middle  
group1 in which the ,gryphaea incurva   
occurs by millions2 and its upper group1
 abounding in ,ammonites1 ,nautili1     
,pinnae1 and ,serpulae4  ,friday made   
amends for the rains and fogs of its    
disagreeable predecessor3 the morning   
rose bright and beautiful1 with just    
wind enough to fill1 and barely fill1   
the sail1 hoisted high1 with miser      
economy1 that not a breath might be     
lost2 and1 weighing anchor1 and shaking 
out all our canvass1 we bore down on    
,pabba1 to explore4 ,this island1 so    
soft in outline and color1 is formidably

 fenced round by dangerous reefs2 and1  
leaving the ,betsey in charge of ,john  
,stewart and his companion1 to dodge on 
in the offing1 ,i set out with the      
minister in our little boat1 and landed 
on the north-eastern side of the island1
 beside a trap-dyke that served us as a 
pier4 ,he would be a happy geologist    
who1 with a few thousands to spare1     
could call ,pabba his own4 ,it contains 
less than a square mile of surface2 and 
a walk of little more than three miles  
and a half along the line where the     
waves break at high water brings the    
traveller back to his starting point2   
and yet1 though thus limited in area1   
the petrifactions of its shores might of
 themselves fill a museum4 ,they rise by
 thousands and tens of thousands on the 
exposed planes of its sea-washed strata1
 standing out in bold relief1 like      
sculpturings on ancient tombstones1 at  
once mummies and monuments1--the dead   
and the carved memorials of the dead4   
,every rock is a tablet of              

hieroglyphics1 with an ascertained      
alphabet2 every rolled pebble a casket  
with old pictorial records locked up    
within4 ,trap-dykes1 beyond comparison  
finer than those of the ,water of       
,leith1 which first suggested to ,hutton
 his theory1 stand up like fences over  
the sedimentary strata1 or run out like 
moles far into the sea4 ,the entire     
island1 too1 so green1 rich1 and level1 
is itself a specimen illustrative of the
 effect of geologic formation on        
scenery4 ,we find its nearest           
neighbor1--the steep1 brown1 barren     
island of ,longa1 which is composed of  
the ancient ,red ,sandstone of the      
district1--differing as thoroughly from 
it in aspect as a bit of granite differs
 from a bit of clay-slate2 and the whole
 prospect around1 save the green ,liasic
 strip that lies along the bottom of the
 ,bay of ,broadford1 exhibits1 true to  
its various components1 ,plutonic or    
sedimentary1 a character of picturesque 
roughness or bold sublimity4 ,the only  

piece of smooth1 level ,england1        
contained in the entire landscape1 is   
the fossil-mottled island of ,pabba4 ,we
 were first struck1 on landing this     
morning1 by the great number of ,pinnae 
embedded in the strata1--shells varying 
from five to ten inches in length1--one 
species of the common flat type1        
exemplified in the existing ,pinna      
sulcata1 and another nearly             
quadrangular1 in the cross section1 like
 the ,pinna lanceolata of the           
,scarborough limestone4 ,the            
quadrangular species is more deeply     
crisped outside than the flat one4 ,both
 species bear the longitudinal groove in
 the centre1 and when broken across1 are
 found to contain numerous smaller      
shells1--,terebratulae of both the      
smooth and sulcated kinds1 and a species
 of minute smooth ,pecten resembling the
 ,pecten demissus1 but smaller4 ,the    
,pinnae1 ere they became embedded in the
 original sea-bottom1 long since        
hardened into rock around them1 were1 we

 find1 dead shells1 into which1 as into 
the dead open shells of our existing    
beaches1 smaller shells were washed by  
the waves4 ,our recent ,pinnae are all  
sedentary shells1 some of them full two 
feet in length1 fastened to their places
 on their deep-sea floors by flowing    
silky byssi1--cables of many            
strands1--of which beautiful pieces of  
dress1 such as gloves and hose1 have    
been manufactured4 ,an old ,french      
naturalist1 the ,abbe ,le ,pluche1 tells
 us that the ,pinna with its fleshy     
tongue 7foot71--a rude inefficient      
looking implement for work so           
nice1--spins such threads as are more   
valuable than silk itself1 and with     
which the most beautiful stuffs that    
ever were seen have been made by        
,sicilian weavers4 ,gloves made of the  
byssus of recent ,pinnae may be seen in 
the ,british ,museum4 ,associated with  
the numerous ,pinnae of ,pabba we found 
a delicately-formed ,modiola1 a small   
,ostrya1 ,plagiostoma1 ,terebratula1    

several species of ,pectens1 a          
triangular univalve resembling a        
,trochus1 innumerable groups of         
,serpulae1 and the star-like joints of  
,pentacrinites4 ,the ,gryphae are also  
abundant1 occurring in extensive beds2  
and ,belemnites of various species lie  
as thickly scattered over the rock as if
 they had been the spindles of a whole  
kingdom thrown aside in consequence of  
some such edict framed to put them down 
as that passed by the father of the     
,sleeping ,beauty4 ,we find1 among the  
detached masses of the beach1 specimens 
of ,nautilus1 which1 though rarely      
perfect1 are sufficiently so to show the
 peculiarities of the shell2 and        
numerous ,ammonites project in relief   
from almost every weathered plane of the
 strata4 ,these last shells1 in the     
tract of shore which we examined1 are   
chiefly of one species1--the ,ammonites 
spinatus1--one of which1 considerably   
broken1 the reader may find figured in  
,sowerby's ,mineral ,conchology1 from a 

specimen brought from ,pabba sixteen    
years ago by ,sir ,r4 ,murchison4 ,it is
 difficult to procure specimens         
tolerably complete4 ,we find bits of    
outer rings existing as limestone1 with 
every rib sharply preserved1 but the    
rest of the fossil lost in the shale4 ,i
 succeeded in finding but two specimens 
that show the inner whorls4 ,they are   
thickly ribbed2 and the chief           
peculiarity which they exhibit1 not so  
directly indicated by ,mr4 ,sowerby's   
figure1 is1 that while the ribs of the  
outer whorl are broad and deep1 as in   
the ,ammonites obtusus1 they suddenly   
change their character1 and become      
numerous and narrow in the inner whorls1
 as in the ,ammonites communis4  ,the   
tide began to flow1 and we had to quit  
our explorations1 and return to the     
,betsey4 ,the little wind had become    
less1 and all the canvas we could hang  
out enabled us to draw but a sluggish   
furrow4 ,the stern of the ,betsey       
wrought no buttons on this occasion2 but

 she had a good tide under her keel2 and
 ere the dinner-hour we had passed      
through the narrows of ,kyle ,akin4 ,the
 village of this name was designed by   
the late ,lord ,m',donald for a great   
seaport town2 but it refused to grow2   
and it has since become a gentleman in a
 small way1 and does nothing4 ,it forms1
 however1 a handsome group of houses1   
pleasantly situated on a flat green     
tongue of land1 on the ,skye side1 just 
within the opening of the ,kyle2 and    
there rises on an eminence beyond it a  
fine old tower1 rent open1 as if by an  
earthquake1 from top to bottom1 which   
forms one of the most picturesque       
objects ,i have almost ever seen in a   
landscape4 ,there are bold hills all    
around1 and rocky islands1 with the     
ceaseless rush of tides in front2 while 
the cloven tower1 rising high over the  
shore1 is seen1 in threading the ,kyles1
 whether from the south or north1       
relieved dark against the sky1 as the   
central object in the vista4 ,we find it

 thus described by the ,messrs4         
,anderson of ,inverness1 in their       
excellent ,guide ,book1--by far the best
 companion of the kind with which the   
traveller who sets himself to explore   
our ,scottish ,highlands can be         
provided4 ,close to the village of ,kyle
 ,akin are the ruins of an old square   
keep1 called ,castle ,muel or ,maoil1   
the walls of which are of a remarkable  
thickness4 ,it is said to have been     
built by the daughter of a ,norwegian   
king1 married to a ,mackinnon or        
,macdonald1 for the purpose of levying  
an impost on all vessels passing the    
,kyles1 excepting1 says the tradition1  
those of her own country4 ,for the more 
certain exaction of this duty1 she is   
reported to have caused a strong chain  
to be stretched across from shore to    
shore2 and the spot in the rocks to     
which the terminal links were attached  
is still pointed out4 ,it was high time 
for us to be home4 ,the dinner hour     
came2 but1 in meet illustration of the  

profound remark of ,trotty-,veck1 not   
the dinner4 ,we had been in a cold      
,moderate district1 whence there came no
 half-dozens of eggs1 or whole dozens of
 trout1 or pailfuls of razor-fish1 and  
in which hard cabin-biscuit cost us     
sixpence per pound4 ,and now our stores 
were exhausted1 and we had to dine as   
best we could1 on our last half-ounce of
 tea1 sweetened by our last quarter of a
 pound of sugar4 ,i had marked1 however1
 a dried thornback hanging among the    
rigging4 ,it had been there nearly three
 weeks before1 when ,i came first       
aboard1 and no one seemed to know for   
how many weeks previous2 for as it had  
come to be a sort of fixture in the     
vessel1 it could be looked at without   
being seen4 ,but necessity sharpens the 
discerning faculty1 and on this pressing
 occasion ,i was fortunate enough to see
 it4 ,it was straightway taken down1    
skinned1 roasted1 and eaten2 and1 though
 rather rich in ammonia1--a substance   
better suited to form the food of the   

organisms that do not unite sensation to
 vitality1 than organisms so high in the
 scale as the minister and his          
friend1--we came deliberately to the    
opinion1 that on the whole1 we could    
scarce have dined so well on one of     
,major ,bellenden's jack-boots1--so     
thick in the soles1 according to ,jenny 
,dennison1 forby being tough in the     
upper leather4 ,the tide failed us      
opposite the opening of ,loch ,alsh2 the
 wind1 long dying1 at length died out   
into a dead calm2 and we cast anchor in 
ten fathoms water1 to wait the ebbing   
current that was to carry us through    
,kyle ,rhea4  ,the ebb-tide set in about
 half an hour after sunset2 and in      
weighing anchor to float down the       
,kyle1--for we still lacked wind to sail
 down it1--we brought up from below1 on 
one of the anchor-flukes1 an immense    
bunch of deep-sea tangle1 with huge soft
 fronds and long slender stems1 that had
 lain flat on the rocky bottom1 and had 
here and there thrown out roots along   

its length of stalk1 to attach itself to
 the rock1 in the way the ivy attaches  
itself to the wall4 ,among the          
intricacies of the true roots of the    
bunch1 if one may speak of the true     
roots of an alga1 ,i reckoned from      
eighteen to twenty different forms of   
animal life1--,flustrae1 ,sertulariae1  
,serpulae1 ,anomiae1 ,modiolae1         
,astarte1 ,annelida1 ,crustacea1 and    
,radiata4 ,among the ,crustaceans ,i    
found a female crab of a reddish-brown  
color1 considerably smaller than the    
nail of my small finger1 but fully grown
 apparently1 for the abdominal flap was 
loaded with spawn2 and among the        
,echinoderms1 a brownish-yellow         
sea-urchin about the size of a          
pistol-bullet1 furnished with           
comparatively large but thinly-set      
spines4 ,there is a dangerous rock in   
the ,kyle ,rhea1 the ,caileach stone1 on
 which the ,commissioners for the       
,northern ,lighthouses have stuck a bit 
of board about the size of a pot-lid1   

which1 as it is known to be there1 and  
as no one ever sees it after sunset1 is 
really very effective1 considering how  
little it must have cost the country1 in
 wrecking vessels4 ,i saw one of its    
victims1 the sloop of an honest         
,methodist1 in whose bottom the         
,caileach had knocked out a hole1       
repairing at ,isle ,ornsay2 and ,i was  
told1 that if ,i wished to see more1 ,i 
had only just to wait a little4 ,the    
honest ,methodist1 after looking out in 
vain for the bit of board1 was just     
stepping into the shrouds1 to try       
whether he could not see the rock on    
which the bit of board is placed1 when  
all at once his vessel found out both   
board and rock for herself4 ,we also had
 anxious looking out this evening for   
the bit of board3 one of us thought he  
saw it right a-head2 and when some of   
the others were trying to see it too1   
,john ,stewart succeeded in discovering 
it half a pistol-shot astern4 ,the      
evening was one of the loveliest4 ,the  

moon rose in cloudy majesty over the    
mountains of ,glenelg1 brightening as it
 rose1 till the boiling eddies around us
 curled on the darker surface in pale   
circlets of light1 and the shadow of the
 ,betsey lay as sharply defined on the  
brown patch of calm to the larboard as  
if it were her portrait taken in black4 
,immediately at the water-edge1 under a 
tall dark hill1 there were two          
smouldering fires1 that now shot up a   
sudden tongue of bright flame1 and now  
dimmed into blood-red specks1 and sent  
thick strongly-scented trails of smoke  
athwart the surface of the ,kyle4 ,we   
could hear1 in the calm1 voices from    
beside them1 apparently those of        
children2 and learned that they         
indicated the places of two             
kelp-furnaces1--things which have now   
become comparatively rare along the     
coasts of the ,hebrides4 ,there was the 
low rush of tides all around1 and the   
distant voices from the shore1 but no   
other sounds2 and1 dim in the moonshine1

 we could see behind us several         
spectral-looking sails threading their  
silent way through the narrows1 like    
twilight ghosts traversing some haunted 
corridor4  ,it was late ere we reached  
the opening of ,isle ,ornsay2 and as it 
was still a dead calm we had to tug in  
the ,betsey to the anchoring ground with
 a pair of long sweeps4 ,the minister   
pointed to a low-lying rock on the      
left-hand side of the opening1--a       
favorite haunt of the seal4 ,i took     
farewell of the ,betsey there last      
winter1 he said4 ,the night had worn    
late1 and was pitch dark2 we could see  
before us scarce the length of our      
bowsprit2 not a single light twinkled   
from the shore2 and1 in taking the bay1 
we ran bump on the skerry1 and stuck    
fast4 ,the water came rushing in1 and   
covered over the cabin-floor4 ,i had    
,mrs4 ,swanson and my little daughter   
aboard with me1 with one of our         
servant-maids who had become attached to
 the family1 and insisted on following  

us from ,eigg2 and1 of course1 our first
 care was to get them ashore4 ,we had to
 land them on the bare uninhabited      
island yonder1 and a dreary enough place
 it was at midnight1 in winter1 with its
 rocks1 bogs1 and heath1 and with a rude
 sea tumbling over the skerries in      
front2 but it had at least the          
recommendation of being safe1 and the   
sky1 though black and wild1 was not     
stormy4 ,i had brought two lanterns     
ashore3 the servant girl1 with the child
 in her lap1 sat beside one of them1 in 
the shelter of a rock2 while my wife1   
with the other1 went walking up and down
 along a piece of level sward yonder1   
waving the light1 to attract notice from
 the opposite side of the bay4 ,but     
though it was seen from the windows of  
my own house by an attached relative1 it
 was deemed merely a singularly-distinct
 apparition of ,will o' the ,wisp1 and  
so brought us no assistance4 ,meanwhile 
we had carried out a kedge astern of the
 ,betsey1 as the sea was flowing at the 

time1 to keep her from beating in over  
the rocks2 and then1 taking our few     
movables ashore1 we hung on till the    
tide rose1 and1 with our boat alongside 
ready for escape1 succeeded in warping  
her into deep water1 with the intention 
of letting her sink somewhere beyond the
 influence of the surf1 which1 without  
fail1 would have broken her up on the   
skerry in a few hours1 had we suffered  
her to remain there4 ,but though1 when  
on the rock1 the tide had risen as      
freely over the cabin sole inside as    
over the crags without1 in the deep     
water the ,betsey gave no sign of       
sinking4 ,i went down to the cabin2 the 
water was knee-high on the floor1       
dashing against bed and locker1 but it  
rose no higher2--the enormous leak had  
stopped1 we knew not how2 and1 setting  
ourselves to the pump1 we had in an hour
 or two a clear ship4 ,the ,betsey is   
clinker-built below4 ,the elastic oak   
planks had yielded inwards to the       
pressure of the rock1 tearing out the   

fastenings1 and admitted the tide at    
wide yawning seams2 but no sooner was   
the pressure removed1 than out they     
sprung again into their places1 like    
bows when the strings are slackened2 and
 when the carpenter came to overhaul1 he
 found he had little else to do than to 
remove a split plank1 and to supply a   
few dozens of drawn nails4     ,,chapter
 ,x4       ,isle ,ornsay--,the          
,sabbath--,a ,sailor-minister's ,sermon 
for      ,sailors--,the ,scuir          
,sermon--,loch ,carron--,groups of      
,moraines--,a sheep      ,district--,the
 ,editor of the ,witness and the        
,establishment                          
,clergyman--,dingwall--,conon-side      
revisited--,the ,pond and its           
,changes--,new ,faces--,the             
,stonemason's ,mark--,the ,burying      
,ground of      ,urquhart--,an old      
acquaintance--,property ,qualification  
for ,voting in                          
,scotland--,montgerald ,sandstone       
,quarries--,geological ,science in      

,cromarty--,the ,danes at               
,cromarty--,the ,danish ,professor and  
the ,old      ,red                      
,sandstone--,harmonizing tendencies of  
,science4   ,the anchoring ground at    
,isle ,ornsay was crowded with coasting 
vessels and fishing boats2 and when the 
,sabbath came round1 no inconsiderable  
portion of my friend's congregation was 
composed of sailors and fishermen4 ,his 
text was appropriate1--,he bringeth them
 into their desired haven2 and as his   
sea-craft and his theology were alike   
excellent1 there were no incongruities  
in his allegory1 and no defects in his  
mode of applying it1 and the seamen were
 hugely delighted4 ,john ,stewart1      
though less a master of ,english than of
 many other things1 told me he was able 
to follow the minister from beginning to
 end1--a thing he had never done before 
at an ,english preaching4 ,the sea      
portion of the sermon1 he said1 was very
 plain3 it was about the helm1 and the  
sails1 and the anchor1 and the chart1   

and the pilot1--about rocks1 winds1     
currents1 and safe harborage2 and by    
attending to this simpler part of it1 he
 was led into the parts that were less  
simple1 and so succeeded in             
comprehending the whole4 ,i would fain  
see this unique discourse1 preached by a
 sailor minister to a sailor            
congregation1 preserved in some         
permanent form1 with at least one other 
discourse1--of which ,i found trace in  
the island of ,eigg1 after the lapse of 
more than a twelvemonth1--that had been 
preached about the time of the          
,disruption1 full in sight of the       
,scuir1 with its impregnable hill-fort1 
and in the immediate neighborhood of the
 cave of ,frances1 with its heaps of    
dead men's bones4 ,one note stuck fast  
to the islanders4 ,in times of peril and
 alarm1 said the minister1 the ancient  
inhabitants of the island had two       
essentially different kinds of places in
 which they sought security2 they had   
the deep1 unwholesome cave1 shut up from

 the light and the breath of heaven1 and
 the tall rock summit1 with its         
impregnable fort1 on which the sun shone
 and the wind blew4 ,much hardship might
 no doubt be encountered on the one1    
when the sky was black with tempest1 and
 rains beat1 or snows descended2 but it 
was found associated with no story of   
real loss or disaster1--it had kept safe
 all who had committed themselves to it2
 whereas1 in the close atmosphere of the
 other there was warmth1 and1 after a   
sort1 comfort2 and on one memorable day 
of trouble the islanders had deemed it  
the preferable sheltering place of the  
two4 ,and there survived mouldering     
skeletons and a frightful tradition1 to 
tell the history of their choice4       
,places of refuge of these very opposite
 kinds1 said the minister1 continuing   
his allegory1 are not peculiar to your  
island2 never was there a day or a place
 of trial in which they did not advance 
their opposite claims3 they are         
advancing them even now all over the    

world4 ,the one kind you find described 
by one great prophet as low-lying       
refuges of lies1 over which the         
desolating scourge must pass1 and which 
the destroying waters must overflow2    
while the true character of the other   
may be learned from another great       
prophet1 who was never weary of         
celebrating his rock and his fortress4  
,wit succeeds more from being happily   
addressed1 says ,goldsmith1 than even   
from its native poignancy4 ,if my       
friend's allegory does not please quite 
as well in print and in ,english as it  
did when delivered viva voce in ,gaelic1
 it should be remembered that it was    
addressed to an out-door congregation1  
whose minds were filled with the        
consequences of the ,disruption1--that  
the bones of ,uamh ,fraingh lay within a
 few hundred yards of them1--and that   
the ,scuir1 with the sun shining bright 
on its summit1 rose tall in the         
background1 scarce a mile away4  ,on    
,monday ,i spent several hours in       

reexploring the ,lias of ,lucy ,bay and 
its neighborhood1 and then walked on to 
,kyle-,akin1 where ,i parted from my    
friend ,mr4 ,swanson1 and took boat for 
,loch ,carron4 ,the greater part of the 
following day was spent in crossing the 
country to the east coast in the        
mail-gig1 through long dreary glens1 and
 a fierce storm of wind and rain4 ,in   
the lower portion of the valley occupied
 by the river ,carron1 ,i saw at least  
two fine groups of moraines4 ,one of    
these1 about a mile and a half above the
 parish manse1 marks the place where a  
glacier1 that had once descended from a 
hollow amid the northern range of hills1
 had furrowed up the gravel and earth   
before it in long ridges1 which we find 
running nearly parallel to the road2 the
 other group1 which lies higher up the  
valley1 and seems of considerably       
greater extent1 indicates where one of  
those river-like glaciers that fill up  
long hollows1 and impel their           
irresistible flood downwards1 slow as   

the hour-hand of a time-piece1 had      
terminated towards the sea4 ,i could but
 glance at the appearances as the gig   
drove past1 and point them out to a     
fellow passenger1 the ,establishment    
minister of----1 remarking1 at the same 
time1 how much more dreary the prospect 
must have seemed than even it did       
to-day1 though the fog was thick and the
 drizzle disagreeable1 when the lateral 
hollows on each side were blocked up    
with ice1 and overhanging glaciers1 that
 ploughed the rock bare in their        
descent1 glistened on the bleak         
hill-sides4 ,i wore a gray maud over a  
coat of rough russet1 with waist-coat   
and trowsers of plaid2 and the minister1
 who must have taken me1 ,i suppose1 for
 a southland shepherd looking out for a 
farm1 gave me much information of a kind
 ,i might have found valuable had such  
been my condition and business1         
regarding the various districts through 
which we passed4 ,on one high-lying     
farm1 the grass1 he said1 was short and 

thin1 but sweet and wholesome1 and the  
flocks throve steadily1 and were never  
thinned by disease2 whereas on another  
farm1 that lay along the dank bottom of 
a valley1 the herbage was rank and rich1
 and the sheep fed and got heavy1 but   
braxy at the close of autumn fell upon  
them like a pestilence1 and more than   
neutralized to the farmer every         
advantage of the superior fertility of  
the soil4 ,it was not uninteresting1    
even for one not a sheep-farmer1 to     
learn that the life of the sheep is     
worth fewer years' purchase in one      
little track of country than in another 
adjacent one2 and that those differences
 in the salubrity of particular spots   
which obtain in other parts of the world
 in regard to our own species1 and which
 make it death to linger on the         
luxuriant river-side1 while on the arid 
plain or elevated hill-top there is     
health and safety1 should exist in      
contiguous walks in the ,highlands of   
,scotland in reference to some of the   

inferior animals4 ,the minister and ,i  
became wonderfully good friends for the 
time4 ,all the seats in the gig1 both   
back and front1 had been occupied ere he
 had taken his passage1 and the postman 
had assigned him a miserable place on   
the narrow elevated platform in the     
middle1 where he had to coil himself up 
like a hedgehog in its hole1 sadly to   
the discomfort of limbs still stout and 
strong1 but stiffened by the long       
service of full seventy years4 ,and1 as 
in the case made famous by ,cowper1 of  
the softer sex and the old-fashioned    
iron-cushioned arm-chairs1 the old man  
had1 as became his years1 'gan murmur4  
,i contrived1 by sitting on the edge of 
the gig on the one side1 and by getting 
the postman to take a similar seat on   
the other1 to find room for him in      
front2 and there1 feeling he had not to 
do with savages1 he became kindly and   
conversible4 ,we beat together over a   
wide range of topics2--the ,scotch      
banks1 and ,sir ,robert ,peel's         

intentions regarding them1--the         
periodical press of ,scotland1--the     
,edinburgh literati1--the ,free ,church 
even3 he had been a consistent ,moderate
 all his days1 and disliked renegades1  
he said2 and ,i1 of course1 disliked    
renegades too4 ,we both remembered that1
 though civilized nations give quarter  
to an enemy overpowered in open fight1  
they are still in the habit of shooting 
deserters4 ,in short1 we agreed on a    
great many different matters2 and1 by   
comparing notes1 we made the best we    
could of a tedious journey and a very   
bad day4 ,at the inn at ,garve1 a long  
stage from ,dingwall1 we alighted1 and  
took the road together1 to straighten   
our stiffened limbs1 while the post man 
was engaged in changing horses4 ,the    
minister stopped short in the middle of 
a discussion4 ,we are not on equal      
terms1 he said3 you know who ,i am1 and 
,i don't know you3 we did not start fair
 at the beginning1 but let us start fair
 now4 ,ah1 we have agreed hitherto1 ,i  

replied2 but ,i know not how we are to  
agree when you know who ,i am3 are you  
sure you will not be frightened8        
,frightened6 said the minister sturdily2
 no1 by no man4 ,then1 ,i am the ,editor
 of the ,witness4 ,there was a momentary
 pause4 ,well1 said the minister1 it's  
all the same3 ,i'm glad we should have  
met4 ,give me1 man1 a shake of your     
hand4 ,and so the conversation went on  
as before till we parted at             
,dingwall1--the ,establishment clergyman
 wet to the skin1 the ,free ,church     
editor in no better condition2 but both1
 mayhap1 rather less out of conceit with
 the ride than if it had been ridden    
alone4  ,i had intended passing at least
 two days in the neighborhood of        
,dingwall1 where ,i proposed renewing an
 acquaintance1 broken off for           
three-and-twenty years1 with those      
bituminous shales of ,strathpeffer in   
which the celebrated mineral waters of  
the valley take their rise1--the ,old   
,red ,conglomerate of ,brahan1 the      

vitrified fort of ,knockferrel1 the     
ancient tower of ,fairburn1 above all1  
the pleasure-grounds of ,conon-side4 ,i 
had spent the greater portion of my     
eighteenth and nineteenth years in this 
part of the country2 and ,i was curious 
to ascertain to what extent the man in  
middle life would verify the            
observations of the lad1--to recall     
early incidents1 revisit remembered     
scenes1 return on old feelings1 and see 
who were dead and who were alive among  
the casual acquaintances of nearly a    
quarter of a century ago4 ,the morning  
of ,wednesday rose dark with fog and    
rain1 but the wind had fallen2 and as ,i
 could not afford to miss seeing        
,conon-side1 ,i sallied out under cover 
of an umbrella4 ,i crossed the bridge1  
and reached the pleasure-grounds of     
,conon-house4 ,the river was big in     
flood3 it was exactly such a river      
,conon as ,i had lost sight of in the   
winter of #ahba2 and ,i had to give up  
all hope of wading into its fords1 as ,i

 used to do early in the autumn of that 
year1 and pick up the pearl muscles that
 lie so thickly among the stones at the 
bottom4 ,i saw1 however1 amid a thicket 
of bushes by the river-side1 a heap of  
broken shells1 where some herd-boy had  
been carrying on such a pearl fishery as
 ,i had sometimes used to carry on in my
 own behalf so long before2 and ,i felt 
it was just something to see it4 ,the   
flood eddied past1 dark and heavy1      
sweeping over bulwark and bank4 ,the    
low-stemmed alders that rose on islet   
and mound seemed shorn of half their    
trunks in the tide2 here and there an   
elastic branch bent to the current1 and 
rose and bent again2 and now a tuft of  
withered heath came floating down1 and  
now a soiled wreath of foam4 ,how       
vividly the past rose up before         
me6--boyish day-dreams forgotten for    
twenty years1--the fossils of an early  
formation of mind1 produced at a period 
when the atmosphere of feeling was      
warmer than now1 and the immaturities of

 the mental kingdom grew rank and large1
 like the ancient ,cryptogamiae1 and    
bore no specific resemblance to the     
productions of a present time4 ,i had   
passed in the neighborhood the first    
season ,i anywhere spent among          
strangers1 at an age when home is not a 
country1 nor a province even1 but simply
 a little spot of earth inhabited by    
friends and relatives2 and the rude     
verses1 long forgotten1 in which my joy 
had found vent when on the eve of       
returning to that home1--a home little  
more than twenty miles away1--came      
chiming as freshly into my memory as if 
scarce a month had passed since ,i had  
composed them beside the ,conon4#f      
,three-and-twenty years form a large    
portion of the short life of            
man1--one-third1 as nearly as can be    
expressed in unbroken numbers1 of the   
entire term fixed by the psalmist1 and  
full one-half1 if we strike off the     
twilight periods of childhood and       
immature youth1 and of senectitude weary

 of its toils4 ,i found curious         
indications among the grounds of        
,conon-side1 of the time that had       
elapsed since ,i had last seen them4    
,there was a rectangular pond in a      
corner of a moor1 near the public road1 
inhabited by about a dozen voracious1   
frog-eating pike1 that ,i used          
frequently to visit4 ,the water in the  
pond was exceedingly limpid2 and ,i     
could watch from the banks every motion 
of the hungry1 energetic inmates4 ,and  
now ,i struck off from the river-side by
 a narrow tangled pathway1 to visit it  
once more4 ,i could have found out the  
place blindfold3 there was a piece of   
flat brown heath that stretched round   
its edges1 and a mossy slope that rose  
at its upper side1 at the foot of which 
the taste of the proprietor had placed a
 rustic chair4 ,the spot1 though itself 
bare and moory1 was nearly surrounded by
 wood1 and looked like a clearing in an 
,american forest4 ,there were lines of  
graceful larches on two of its sides1   

and a grove of vigorous beeches that    
directly fronted the setting sun on a   
third2 and ,i had often found it a place
 of delightful resort1 in which to      
saunter alone in the calm summer        
evenings1 after the work of the day was 
over4 ,such was the scene as it existed 
in my recollection4 ,i came up to it    
this day through dripping trees1 along a
 neglected pathway2 and found1 for the  
open space and the rectangular pond1 a  
gloomy patch of water in the middle of a
 tangled thicket1 that rose some ten or 
twelve feet over my head4 ,what had been
 bare heath a quarter of a century      
before had become a thick wood2 and ,i  
remembered1 that when ,i had been last  
there1 the open space had just been     
planted with forest-trees1 and that some
 of the taller plants rose half-way to  
my knee4 ,human lifetimes1 as now       
measured1 are not intended to witness   
both the seed-times and the harvests of 
forests1--both the planting of the      
sapling1 and the felling of the huge    

tree into which it has grown2 and so the
 incident impressed me strongly4 ,it    
reminded me of the sage ,shalum in      
,addison's antediluvian tale1 who became
 wealthy by the sale of his great trees1
 two centuries after he had planted     
them4 ,i pursued my walk1 to revisit    
another little patch of water which ,i  
had found so very entertaining a volume 
three-and-twenty years previous1 that ,i
 could still recall many of its lessons2
 but the hand of improvement had been   
busy among the fields of ,conon-side2   
and when ,i came up to the spot which it
 had occupied1 ,i found but a piece of  
level arable land1 bearing a rank swathe
 of grass and clover4#g  ,not a single  
individual did ,i find on the farm who  
had been there twenty years before4 ,i  
entered into conversation with one of   
the ploughmen1 apparently a man of some 
intelligence2 but he had come to the    
place only a summer or two previous1 and
 the names of most of his predecessors  
sounded unfamiliar in his ears3 he knew 

scarce anything of the old laird or his 
times1 and but little of the general    
history of the district4 ,the frequent  
change of servants incident to the      
large-farm system has done scarce less  
to wear out the oral antiquities of the 
country than has been done by its busy  
ploughs in obliterating antiquities of a
 more material cast4 ,the mythologic    
legend and traditionary story have      
shared the same fate1 through the       
influence of the one cause1 which has   
been experienced by the sepulchral      
tumulus and the ancient encampment under
 the operations of the other4 ,i saw in 
the pillars and archways of the         
farm-steading some of the hewn stones   
bearing my own mark1--an anchor1 to     
which ,i used to attach a certain       
symbolical meaning2 and ,i pointed them 
out to the ploughman4 ,i had hewn these 
stones1 ,i said1 in the days of the old 
laird1 the grandfather of the present   
proprietor4 ,the ploughman wondered how 
a man still in middle life could have   

such a story to tell4 ,i must surely    
have begun work early in the day1 he    
remarked1 which was perhaps the best way
 for getting it soon over4 ,i remembered
 having seen similar markings on the    
hewn-work of ancient castles1 and of    
indulging in1 ,i daresay1 idle enough   
speculations regarding what was doing at
 court and in the field1 in ,scotland   
and elsewhere1 when the old             
long-departed mechanics had been engaged
 in their work4 ,when this mark was     
affixed1 ,i have said1 all ,scotland was
 in mourning for the disaster at        
,flodden1 and the folk in the work-shed 
would have been1 mayhap1 engaged in     
discussing the supposed treachery of    
,home1 and in arguing whether the       
hapless ,james had fallen in battle1 or 
gone on a pilgrimage to merit absolution
 for the death of his father4 ,and when 
this other more modern mark was affixed1
 the ,gowrie conspiracy must have been  
the topic of the day1 and the mechanics 
were probably speculating1--at worst not

 more doubtfully than the historians    
have done after them1--on the guilt or  
innocence of the ,ruthvens4 ,it now rose
 curiously enough in memory1 that ,i was
 employed in fashioning one of the      
stones marked by the anchor1--a corner  
stone in a gate-pillar1--when one of my 
brother apprentices entered the         
work-shed1 laden with a bundle of newly 
sharpened irons from the smithy1 and    
said he had just been told by the smith 
that the great ,napoleon ,bonaparte was 
dead4 ,i returned to the village of     
,conon ,bridge1 through the woods of    
,conon ,house4 ,the day was still very  
bad3 the rain pattered thick on the     
leaves1 and fell incessantly in large   
drops on the pathways4 ,there is a      
solitary1 picturesque burying-ground on 
a wooded hillock beside the river1 with 
thick dark woods all around it1--one of 
the two burying-grounds of the parish of
 ,urquhart1--which ,i would fain have   
visited1 but the swollen stream had     
risen high around1 converting the       

hillock into an island1 and forbade     
access4 ,i had spent many an hour among 
the tombs4 ,they are few and scattered1 
and of the true antique cast1--roughened
 with death's heads1 and cross-bones1   
and rudely sculptured armorial bearings2
 and on a broken wall1 that marked where
 the ancient chapel once had stood1     
there might be seen1 in the year #ahba1 
a small1 badly-cut sun-dial1 with its   
iron gnomon wasted to a saw-edged film1 
that contained more oxide than metal4   
,the only fossils described in my       
present chapter are fossils of mind2 and
 the reader will1 ,i trust1 bear with me
 should ,i produce one fossil more of   
this somewhat equivocal class4 ,it has  
no merit to recommend it1--it is simply 
an organism of an immature intellectual 
formation1 in which1 however1 as in the 
,carboniferous period1 there was        
provision made for the necessities of an
 after time4#h ,if a young man born on  
the wrong side of the ,tweed for        
speaking ,english1 is desirous to       

acquire the ability of writing it1 he   
should by all means begin by trying to  
write it in verse4  ,i passed1 on my    
return to ,dingwall1 through the village
 of ,conon ,bridge2 and remembering that
 one of the masons who had hewn beside  
me in the work-shed so many years before
 lived in the village at the time1 ,i   
went direct to the house he had         
inhabited1 to see whether he might not  
be there still4 ,it was a low-roofed    
domicile beside the river1 but in the   
days of my old acquaintance it had      
presented an appearance of great comfort
 and neatness2 and as there now hung an 
air of neglect about it1 ,i inferred    
that it had found some other tenant4 ,i 
inquired1 however1 at the door1 and was 
informed that ,mr4 ---- now lived higher
 up the street4 ,i would find him1 it   
was added1 in the best house on the     
right-hand side1--the house with a hewn 
front1 and a shop in it4 ,he kept the   
shop1 and was the owner of the house1   
and had another house besides1 and was  

one of the elders of the ,free ,church  
in ,urquhart4 ,such was the standing of 
my old acquaintance the journeyman mason
 of twenty-three years ago4 ,he had     
been1 when ,i knew him1 a steady1       
industrious1 religious man1--with but   
one exception the only contributor to   
missionary and ,bible societies among a 
numerous party of workmen2 and he was   
now occupying a respectable place in his
 village1 and was one of the voters of  
the county4 ,let ,chartism assert what  
it pleases on the one hand1 and ,toryism
 what it may on the other1 the          
property-qualification of the ,reform   
,bill is essentially a good one for such
 a country as ,scotland4 ,in our cities 
it no doubt extends the political       
franchise to a fluctuating class1 ill   
hafted in society1 who possess it one   
year and want it another2 but in our    
villages and smaller towns it hits very 
nearly the right medium for forming a   
premium on steady industry and          
character1 and for securing that at     

least the mass of those who possess it  
should be sober-minded men1 with a stake
 in the general welfare4 ,in running    
over the histories of the various voters
 in one of our smaller towns1 ,i found  
that nearly one-half of the whole had1  
like my old comrade at ,conon ,bridge1  
acquired for themselves1 through steady 
and industrious habits1 the             
qualification from which they derive    
their vote4 ,my companion failed to     
recognize in the man turned of forty the
 smooth-cheeked stripling of eighteen1  
with whom he had wrought so long before4
 ,i soon succeeded1 however1 in making  
good my claim to his acquaintance4 ,he  
had previously established the identity 
of the editor of his newspaper with his 
quondam fellow-workman1 and a single    
link more was all the chain wanted4 ,we 
talked over old matters for half an     
hour4 ,his wife1 a staid respectable    
matron1 who1 when ,i had been last in   
the district1 was exactly such a person 
as her eldest daughter1 showed me an    

,encyclopaedia1 with colored prints1    
which she wished to send1 if she knew   
but how1 to the ,free ,church library4  
,i walked with him through his garden1  
and saw trees loaded with yellow-cheeked
 pippins1 where ,i had once seen only   
unproductive heath1 that scantily       
covered a barren soil of ferruginous    
sand1 and unwillingly declining an      
invitation to wait tea1--for a previous 
engagement interfered1--,i took leave of
 the family1 and returned to ,dingwall4 
,the following morning was gloomy1 and  
threatened rain2 and giving up my       
intention of exploring ,strathpeffer1 ,i
 took the morning coach for             
,invergordon1 and then walked to        
,cromarty1 where ,i arrived just in time
 for breakfast4  ,i marked1 from the top
 of the coach1 about two miles to the   
north-east of ,dingwall1 beds of a deep 
gray sandstone1 identical in color and  
appearance with some of the gray        
sandstones of the ,middle ,old ,red of  
,forfarshire1 and learned that quarries 

had lately been opened in these beds    
near ,montgerald4 ,the ,old ,red        
,sandstone lies in immense development  
on the flanks of ,ben-,wevis2 and it is 
just possible that the analogue of the  
gray flagstones of ,forfar may be found 
among its upper beds4 ,if so1 the       
quarriers should be instructed to look  
hard for organic remains1--the          
broad-headed ,cephalaspis1 so           
characteristic of the formation1 and the
 huge ,crustacean1 its contemporary1    
that disported in plates large as those 
of the steel mail of the later ages of  
chivalry4 ,the geologists of            
,dingwall1--if ,dingwall has yet got its
 geologists1--might do well to attempt  
determining the point4 ,i found the     
science much in advance in ,cromarty1   
especially among the ladies1--its great 
patronizers and illustrators            
everywhere1--and1 in not a few          
localities1 extensive contributors to   
its hoards of fact4 ,just as ,i arrived1
 there was a pic-nic party of young     

people setting out for the ,lias of     
,shandwick4 ,they spent the day among   
its richly fossiliferous shales and     
limestones1 and brought back with them  
in the evening1 ,ammonites and          
,gryphites enough to store a museum4    
,cromarty had been visited during the   
summer by geologists speaking a foreign 
tongue1 but thoroughly conversant with  
the occult yet common language of the   
rocks1 and deeply interested in the     
stories which the rocks told4 ,the      
vessels in which the ,crown ,prince of  
,denmark voyaged to the ,faroe ,isles   
had been for some time in the bay2 and  
the ,danes1 his companions1 votaries of 
the stony science1 zealously plied      
chisel and hammer among the ,old ,red   
,sandstones of the coast4 ,a townsman   
informed me that he had seen a ,danish  
,professor hammering like the tutelary  
,thor of his country among the nodules  
in which ,i had found the first         
,pterichthys and first ,diplacanthus    
ever disinterred2 and that the          

,professor1 ever and anon as he laid    
open a specimen1 brought it to a huge   
smooth boulder1 on which there lay a    
copy of the ,old ,red ,sandstone1 to    
ascertain from the descriptions and     
prints its family and name4 ,shall ,i   
confess that the circumstance gratified 
me exceedingly8 ,there are many elements
 of ,discord among mankind in the       
present time1 both at home and          
abroad1--so many1 that ,i am afraid we  
need entertain no hope of seeing an end1
 in at least our day1 to controversy and
 war4 ,and we should be all the better  
pleased1 therefore1 to witness the      
increase of those links of union1--such 
as the harmonizing bonds of a scientific
 sympathy1--the tendency of which is to 
draw men together in a kindly spirit1   
and the formation of which involves no  
sacrifice of principle1 moral or        
religious4 ,i do not think that the     
foreigner1 after geologizing in my      
company1 would have had any very        
vehement desire1 in the event of a war1 

to cut me down1 or to knock me on the   
head4 ,i am afraid this chapter would   
require a long apology1 and for a long  
apology space is wanting4 ,but there    
will be no egotism1 and much geology1 in
 my next4     ,,chapter ,,xi4           
,ichthyolite ,beds--,an interesting     
,discovery--,two ,storeys of ,organic   
,remains in the ,old ,red               
,sandstone--,ancient ,ocean of ,lower   
,old      ,red--,two great              
,catastrophes--,ancient ,fish           
,scales--,their skilful      ,mechanism 
displayed by examples--,bone            
,lips--,arts of the ,slater and         
,tiler as old as ,old ,red              
,sandstone--,jet ,trinkets--,flint      
,arrow-heads--,vitrified ,forts of      
,scotland--,style of grouping ,lower    
,old ,red ,fossils--,illustration from  
,cromarty ,fishing                      
,phenomena--,singular ,remains of       
,holoptychius--,ramble with ,mr4 ,robert
      ,dick--,color of the ,planet      
,mars--,tombs never dreamed of by       

,hervey--,skeleton of the               
,bruce--,gigantic ,holoptychius--,coal  
money      ,currency--,upper ,boundary  
of ,lower ,old ,red--,every one may add 
to      the ,store of ,geological       
,facts--,discoveries of ,messrs4 ,dick  
and      ,peach4   ,i spent one long day
 in exploring the ichthyolite beds on   
both sides the ,cromarty ,frith1 and    
another long day in renewing my         
acquaintance with the ,liasic deposit at
 ,shandwick4 ,in beating over the ,lias1
 though ,i picked up a few good         
specimens1 ,i acquired no new facts2 but
 in re-examining the ,old ,red          
,sandstone and its organisms ,i was     
rather more successful4 ,i succeeded in 
eliciting some curious points not yet   
recorded1 which1 with the details of an 
interesting discovery made in the far   
north in this formation1 ,i may be      
perhaps able to weave into a chapter    
somewhat more geological than my last4  
,some of the readers of my little work  
on the ,old ,red ,sandstone will perhaps

 remember that ,i described the         
organisms of that ancient system as     
occurring in the neighborhood of        
,cromarty mainly on one platform1 raised
 rather more than a hundred feet over   
the great ,conglomerate2 and that on    
this platform1 as if suddenly overtaken 
by some wide-spread catastrophe1 the    
ichthyolites lie by thousands and tens  
of thousands1 in every attitude of      
distortion and terror4 ,we see the      
spiked wings of the ,pterichthys        
elevated to the full1 as they had been  
erected in the fatal moment of anger and
 alarm1 and the bodies of the           
,cheirolepis and ,cheiracanthus bent    
head to tail1 in the stiff posture into 
which they had curled when the last pang
 was over4 ,in various places in the    
neighborhood the ichthyolites are found 
in situ in their coffin-like nodules1   
where it is impossible to trace the     
relation of the beds in which they occur
 to the rocks above and below2 and ,i   
had suspected for years that in at least

 some of the localities1 they could not 
have belonged to the lower platform of  
death1 but to some posterior catastrophe
 that had strewed with carcasses some   
upper platform4 ,i had thought over the 
matter many a time and oft when ,i      
should have been asleep1--for it is     
marvellous how questions of the kind    
grow upon a man2 and now1 selecting as a
 hopeful scene of inquiry the splendid  
section under the ,northern ,sutor1 ,i  
set myself doggedly to determine whether
 the ,old ,red ,sandstone in this part  
of the country has not at least its two 
storeys of organic remains1 each of     
which had been equally a scene of sudden
 mortality4 ,i was entirely successful4 
,the lower ichthyolite bed occurs       
exactly one hundred and fourteen feet   
over the great ,conglomerate2 and three 
hundred and eighteen feet higher up ,i  
found a second ichthyolite bed1 as rich 
in fossils as the first1 with its thorny
 ,acanthodians twisted half round1 as if
 still in the agony of dissolution1 and 

its ,pterichthyes still extending their 
spear-like arms in the attitude of      
defence4 ,the discovery enabled me to   
assign to their true places the various 
ichthyolite beds of the district4 ,those
 in the immediate neighborhood of the   
town1 and a bed which abuts on the ,lias
 at ,eathie1 belong to the upper        
platform2 while those which appear in   
,eathie ,burn1 and along the shores at  
,navity1 belong to the lower4 ,the chief
 interest of the discovery1 however1    
arises from the light which it throws on
 the condition of the ancient ocean of  
the ,lower ,old ,red1 and on the extreme
 precariousness of the tenure on which  
the existence of its numerous denizens  
was held4 ,in a section of little more  
than a hundred yards there occur at     
least two platforms of violent          
death1--platforms inscribed with        
unequivocal evidence of two great       
catastrophes which over wide areas      
depopulated the seas4 ,in the ,old ,red 
,sandstone of ,caithness there are many 

such platforms3 storey rises over       
storey2 and the floor of each bears its 
closely-written record of disaster and  
sudden extinction4 ,pompeii in this     
northern locality lies over             
,herculaneum1 and ,anglano over both4   
,we cease to wonder why the higher order
 of animals should not have been        
introduced into a scene of being that   
had so recently arisen out of chaos1 and
 over which the reign of death so       
frequently returned4 ,in a somewhat     
different sense from that indicated by  
the poet of the ,seasons1   ,as yet the 
trembling year was unconfirmed1  ,and   
winter oft at eve resumed the gale4     
,lying detached in the stratified clay  
of the fish-beds1 there occur in        
abundance single plates and scales of   
ichthyolites1 which1 as they can be     
removed entire1 and viewed on both      
sides1 illustrate points in the         
mechanism of the creatures to which they
 belonged that cannot be so clearly     
traced in the same remains when locked  

up in stone4 ,there is a vast deal of   
skilful carpentry exhibited--if         
carpentry ,i may term it--in the        
coverings of these ancient ichthyolites4
 ,in the commoner fish of our existing  
seas the scales are so thin and         
flexible1--mere films of horn1--that    
there is no particularly nice fitting   
required in their arrangement4 ,the     
condition1 too1 through which portions  
of unprotected skin may be presented to 
the water1 as over and between the rays 
of the fins1 and on the snout and lips1 
obviates many a mechanical difficulty of
 the earlier period1 when it was a      
condition1 as the remains demonstrate1  
that no bit of naked skin1 should be    
exposed1 and when the scales and plates 
were formed1 not of thin horny films1   
but of solid pieces of bone4 ,thin      
slates lie on the roof of a modern      
dwelling1 without any nice              
fitting2--they are scales of the modern 
construction3 but it required much nice 
fitting to make thick flagstones lie on 

the roof of an ancient cathedral2--they1
 on the other hand1 were scales of the  
ancient type4 ,again1 it requires no    
ingenuity whatever1 to suffer the hands 
and face to go naked1--and such is the  
condition of our existing fish1 with    
their soft skinny snouts and membranous 
fins2 but to cover the hands with       
flexible steel gauntlets1 and the face  
with such an iron mask as that worn by  
the mysterious prisoner of ,louis       
,,xiv41 would require a very large      
amount of ingenuity indeed2 and the     
ancient ichthyolites of the ,old ,red   
were all masked and gauntleted4 ,now the
 detached plates and scales of the      
stratified clay exhibit not a few of the
 mechanical contrivances through which  
the bony coverings of these fish were   
made to unite--as in coats of old       
armor--great strength with great        
flexibility4 ,the scales of the         
,osteolepis and ,diplopterus ,i found   
nicely bevelled atop and at one of the  
sides2 so that where they overlapped    

each other1--for at the joints not a    
needle-point could be insinuated1--the  
thickness of the two scales equalled but
 the thickness of one scale in the      
centre1 and thus an equable covering was
 formed4 ,i brought with me some of     
these detached scales1 and they now lie 
fitted together on the table before me1 
like pieces of complicated hewn work    
carefully arranged on the ground ere the
 workman transfers them to their place  
on the wall4 ,in the smaller-scaled     
fish1 such as the ,cheiracanthus and    
,cheirolepis1 a different principle     
obtained4 ,the minute glittering rhombs 
of bone were set thick on the skin1 like
 those small scales of metal sewed on   
leather1 that formed an inferior kind of
 armor still in use in eastern nations1 
and which was partially used in our own 
country just ere the buff coat          
altogether superseded the coat of mail4 
,i found a beautiful piece of jaw in the
 clay1 with the enamelled tusks         
bristling on its brightly enamelled     

edge1 like iron teeth in an iron rake4  
,mr4 ,parkinson expresses some wonder1  
in his work on fossils1 that in a fine  
ichthyolite in the ,british ,museum1 not
 only the teeth should have been        
preserved1 but also the lips2 but we now
 know enough of the construction of the 
more ancient fish1 to cease wondering4  
,the lips were formed of as solid bone  
as the teeth themselves1 and had as fair
 a chance of being preserved entire2    
just as the metallic rim of a toothed   
wheel has as fair a chance of being     
preserved as the metallic teeth that    
project from it4 ,i was interested in   
marking the various modes of attachment 
to the body of the animal which the     
detached scales exhibit4 ,the slater    
fastens on his slates with nails driven 
into the wood3 the tiler secures his    
tiles by means of a raised bar on the   
under side of each1 that locks into a   
corresponding bar of deal in the        
framework of the roof4 ,now in some of  
the scales ,i found the art of the tiler

 anticipated2 there were bars raised on 
their inner sides1 to lay hold of the   
skin beneath2 while in others it was the
 art of the slater that had been        
anticipated1--the scales had been slates
 fastened down by long nails driven in  
slantwise1 which were1 however1 mere    
prolongations of the scale itself4      
,great truths may be repeated until they
 become truisms1 and we fail to note    
what they in reality convey4 ,the great 
truth that all knowledge dwelt without  
beginning in the adorable ,creator must1
 ,i am afraid1 have been thus           
common-placed in my mind2 for at first  
it struck me as wonderful that the      
humble arts of the tiler and slater     
should have existed in perfection in the
 times of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4  ,i 
had often remarked amid the             
fossiliferous limestones of the ,lower  
,old ,red1 minute specks and slender    
veins of a glossy bituminous substance  
somewhat resembling jet1 sufficiently   
hard to admit of a tolerable polish1 and

 which emitted in the fire a bright     
flame1 ,i had remarked1 further1 its    
apparent identity with a substance used 
by the ancient inhabitants of the       
northern part of the country in the     
manufacture of their rude ornaments1 as 
occasionally found in sepulchral urns1  
such as beads of an elliptical form1 and
 flat parallelograms1 perforated        
edge-wise by some four or five holes    
a-piece2 but ,i had failed hitherto in  
detecting in the stone1 portions of     
sufficient bulk for the formation of    
either the beads or the parallelograms4 
,on this visit to the ichthyolite beds1 
however1 ,i picked up a nodule that     
inclosed a mass of the jet large enough 
to admit of being fashioned into        
trinkets of as great bulk as any of the 
ancient ones ,i have yet seen1 and a    
portion of which ,i succeeded in        
actually forming into a parallelogram1  
that could not have been distinguished  
from those of our old sepulchral urns4  
,it is interesting enough to think1 that

 these fossiliferous beds1 altogether   
unknown to the people of the country for
 many centuries1 and which1 when ,i     
first discovered them1 some twelve or   
fourteen years ago1 were equally unknown
 to geologists1 should have been        
resorted to for this substance1 perhaps 
thousands of years ago1 by the savage   
aborigines of the district4 ,but our    
antiquities of the remoter class furnish
 us with several such facts4 ,it is     
comparatively of late years that we have
 become acquainted with the yellow      
chalk-flints of ,banffshire and         
,aberdeen2 though before the            
introduction of iron into the country   
they seem to have been well known all   
over the north of ,scotland4 ,i have    
never yet seen a stone arrow-head found 
in any of the northern localities1 that 
had not been fashioned out of this hard 
and splintery substance1--a sufficient  
proof that our ancestors1 ere they had  
formed their first acquaintance with the
 metals1 were intimately acquainted with

 at least the mechanical properties of  
the chalk-flint1 and knew where in      
,scotland it was to be found4 ,they were
 mineralogists enough1 too1 as their    
stone battle-axes testify1 to know that 
the best tool-making rock is the        
axe-stone of ,werner2 and in some       
localities they must have brought their 
supply of this rather rare mineral from 
great distances4 ,a history of those    
arts of savage life1 as shown in the    
relics of our earlier antiquities1 which
 the course of discovery sereved        
thoroughly to supplant1 but which could 
not have been carried on without a      
knowledge of substances and qualities   
afterwards lost1 until re-discovered by 
scientific curiosity1 would form of     
itself an exceedingly curious chapter4  
,the art of the gun-flint maker 7and it1
 too1 promises soon to pass into        
extinction7 is unquestionably a curious 
one1 but not a whit more curious or more
 ingenious than the art possessed by the
 rude inhabitants of our country        

eighteen hundred years ago1 of chipping 
arrow-heads with an astonishing degree  
of neatness out of the same stubborn    
material4 ,they found1 however1 that    
though flint made a serviceable         
arrow-head1 it was by much too brittle  
for an adze or battle-axe2 and sought   
elsewhere than among the ,banffshire    
gravels for the rock out of which these 
were to be wrought4 ,where they found it
 in our northern provinces ,i have not  
yet ascertained4 ,it is but a short time
 since ,i came to know that they were   
beforehand with me in the discovery of  
the bituminous jet of the ,lower ,old   
,red ,sandstone1 and were excavators    
among its fossiliferous beds4 ,the      
vitrified forts of the north of         
,scotland give evidence of yet another  
of the obsolete arts4 ,before the savage
 inhabitants of the country were        
ingenious enough to know the uses of    
mortar1 or were furnished with tools    
sufficiently hard and solid to dress a  
bit of sandstone1 they must have been   

acquainted with the chemical fact1 that 
with the assistance of fluxes1 a pile of
 stones could be fused into a solid     
wall1 and with the mineralogical fact1  
that there are certain kinds of stones  
which yield much more readily to the    
heat than others4 ,the art of making    
vitrified forts was the art of making   
ramparts of rock through a knowledge of 
the less obstinate earths and the more  
powerful fluxes4 ,i have been informed  
by ,mr4 ,patrick ,duff of ,elgin1 that  
he found1 in breaking open a vitrified  
fragment detached from an ancient       
hill-fort1 distinct impressions of the  
serrated kelp-weed of our shores1--the  
identical flux which1 in its character  
as the kelp of commerce1 was so         
extensively used in our glass-houses    
only a few years ago4  ,i was struck1   
during my explorations at this time1 as 
,i had been often before1 by the style  
of grouping1 if ,i may so speak1 which  
obtains among the ,lower ,old ,red      
fossils4 ,in no deposit with which ,i am

 acquainted1 however rich in remains1   
have all its ichthyolites been found    
lying together4 ,the collector finds    
some one or two species very numerous2  
some two or three considerably less so1 
but not unfrequent2 some one or two     
more1 perhaps1 exceedingly rare2 and a  
few1 though abundant in other           
localities1 that never occur at all4 ,in
 the ,cromarty beds1 for instance1 ,i   
never found a ,holoptychius1 and a      
,dipterus only once2 the ,diplopterus is
 rare2 the ,glyptolepis not common2 the 
,cheirolepis and ,pterichthys more so1  
but not very abundant2 the              
,cheiracanthus and ,diplacanthus1 on the
 other hand1 are numerous2 and the      
,osteolepis and ,coccosteus more        
numerous still4 ,but in other deposits  
of the same formation1 though a similar 
style of grouping obtains1 the          
proportions are reversed with regard to 
species and genera3 the fish rare in one
 locality abound in another4 ,in        
,banniskirk1 for instance1 the ,dipterus

 is exceedingly common1 while the       
,osteolepis and ,coccosteus are rare1   
and the ,cheiracanthus and ,cheirolepis 
seem altogether awanting4 ,again1 in the
 ,morayshire deposits1 the ,glyptolepis 
is abundant1 and noble specimens of the 
,lower ,old ,red ,holoptychius--of which
 more anon--are to be found in the      
neighborhood of ,thurso1 associated with
 remains of the ,diplopterus1           
,coccosteus1 ,dipterus1 and ,osteolepis4
 ,the fact may be deemed of some little 
interest by the geologist1 and may serve
 to inculcate caution1 by showing that  
it is not always safe to determine      
regarding the place or age of           
subordinate formations from the per     
centage of certain fossils which they   
may be found to contain1 or from the    
fact that they should want some certain 
organisms of the system to which they   
belong1 and possess others4 ,these      
differences may and do exist in         
contemporary deposits2 and ,i had a     
striking example1 on this occasion1 of  

their dependence on a simple law of     
instinct1 which is as active in         
producing the same kind of phenomena now
 as it seems to have been in the earlier
 days of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,the 
,cromarty and ,moray ,friths1 mottled   
with fishing boats 7for the bustle of   
the herring fishers had just begun71    
stretched out before me4 ,a few hundred 
yards from the shore there was a yawl   
lying at anchor1 with an old fisherman  
and a few boys angling from the stern   
for sillocks 7the young of the          
coal-fish7 and for small rock-cod4 ,a   
few miles higher up1 where the ,cromarty
 ,frith expands into a wide landlocked  
basin1 with shallow sandy shores1 there 
was a second yawl engaged in fishing for
 flounders and small skate1--for such   
are the kinds of fish that frequent the 
flat shallows of the basin4 ,a          
turbot-net lay drying in the sun3 it    
served to remind me that some six or    
eight miles away1 in an opposite        
direction1 there is a deep-sea bank1 on 

which turbot1 halibut1 and large skate  
are found4 ,numerous boats were         
stretching down the ,moray ,frith1 bound
 for the banks of a more distant        
locality1 frequented at this early stage
 of the herring fishing by shoals of    
herrings1 with their attendant dog-fish 
and cod2 and ,i knew that in yet another
 deep-sea range there lie haddock and   
whiting banks4 ,almost every variety of 
existing fish in the two friths has its 
own peculiar habitat2 and were they to  
be destroyed by some sudden catastrophe1
 and preserved by some geologic process1
 on the banks and shoals which they     
frequent1 there would occur exactly the 
same phenomena of grouping in the       
fossiliferous contemporaneous deposits  
which they would thus constitute1 as we 
find exhibited by the deposits of the   
,lower ,old ,red ,sandstone4  ,the      
remains of ,holoptychius occur1 ,i have 
said1 in the neighborhood of ,thurso4 ,i
 must now add1 that very singular       
remains they are1--full of interest to  

the naturalist1 and1 in great part at   
least1 new to ,geology4 ,my readers1    
votaries of the stony science1 must be  
acquainted with the masterly paper of   
,mr4 ,sedgwick and ,sir ,r4 ,murchison  
,on the ,old ,red ,sandstone of         
,caithness and the ,north of ,scotland  
generally1 which forms part of the      
second volume 7second series7 of the    
,transactions of the ,geological        
,society1 and with the description which
 it furnishes1 among many others1 of the
 rocks in the neighborhood of ,thurso4  
,calcareo-bituminous flags1 grits1 and  
shales1 of which the paving flagstones  
of ,caithness may be regarded as the    
general type1 occur on the shores1 in   
reefs1 crags1 and precipices2 here      
stretching along the coast in the form  
of flat1 uneven bulwarks3 there rising  
over it in steep walls2 yonder leaning  
to the surf1 stratum against stratum1   
like flights of stairs thrown down from 
their slant position to the level2 in   
some places severed by faults2 in others

 cast about in every possible direction1
 as if broken and contorted by a        
thousand antagonist movements2 but in   
their general bearing rising towards the
 east1 until the whole                  
calcareo-bituminous schists of which    
this important member of the system is  
composed disappear under the red        
sandstones of ,dunnet ,head4 ,such1 in  
effect1 is the general description of   
,mr4 ,sedgwick and ,sir ,r4 ,murchison1 
of the rocks in the neighborhood of     
,thurso4 ,it indicates further1 that in 
at least three localities in the range  
there occur in the grits and shales1    
scales and impressions of fish4 ,and    
such was the ascertained geology of the 
deposit when taken up last year by an   
ingenious tradesman of ,thurso1 ,mr4    
,robert ,dick1 whose patient            
explorations1 concentrated mainly on the
 fossil remains of this deposit1 bid    
fair to add to our knowledge of the     
ichthyology of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4
 ,let us accompany ,mr4 ,dick in one of 

his exploratory rambles4 ,the various   
organisms which he disinterred ,i shall 
describe from specimens before me1 which
 ,i owe to his kindness1--the localities
 in which he found them1 from a minute  
and interesting description1 for which  
,i am indebted to his pen4  ,leaving    
behind us the town at the bottom of its 
deep bay1 we set out to explore a       
bluff-headed parallelogramical          
promontory1 bounded by ,thurso ,bay on  
the one hand1 and ,murkle ,bay on the   
other1 and which presents to the open   
sea1 in the space that stretches        
between1 an undulating line of          
iron-bound coast1 exposed to the roll of
 the northern ocean4 ,we pass two       
stations in which the hard ,caithness   
flagstones so well known in commerce are
 jointed by saws wrought by machinery4  
,as is common in the ,old ,red          
,sandstone1 in which scarce any stratum 
solid enough to be of value to the      
workmen1 whether for building or paving1
 contains good specimens1 we find but   

little to detain us in the dark coherent
 beds from which the flags are quarried4
 ,here and there a few glittering scales
 occur2 here and there a few coprolitic 
patches2 here and there the faint       
impression of a fucoid2 but no organism 
sufficiently entire to be transferred to
 the bag4 ,as we proceed outwards1      
however1 and the fitful breeze comes    
laden with the keen freshness of the    
open sea1 we find among the hard dark   
strata in the immediate neighborhood of 
,thurso ,castle1 a paler-colored bed of 
fine-grained semi-calcareous stone1     
charged with remains in a state of      
coherency and keeping better fitted to  
repay the labor of the                  
specimen-collector4 ,the inclosing      
matrix is comparatively soft3 when      
employed in the neighboring fences as a 
building stone1 we see it resolved by   
the skyey influences into well-nigh its 
original mud2 whereas the organisms     
which it contains are composed of a     
hard1 scarce destructible               

substance1--bone steeped in bitumen2 and
 the enamel on their outer surfaces is  
still as glossy and bright as the japan 
on a papier-mache tray fresh from the   
hands of the workman4 ,their deep black1
 too1 contrasts strongly with the pale  
hue of the stone4 ,they consist chiefly 
of scales1 spines1 dermal plates1       
snouts1 skull-caps1 and vegetable       
impressions4 ,a little farther on1 in a 
thick bed interposed between two faults1
 the same kind of remains occur in the  
same abundance1 largely mingled with    
scales and teeth of ,holoptychius1      
tuberculated plates1 and coprolitic     
blotches2 and further on still1 in a    
rubbly flagstone1 near where a little   
stream comes trotting merrily from the  
uplands to the sea1 there occur         
skull-plates1--at least one of which has
 been disinterred entire1--large and    
massy as the helmets of ancient         
warriors4 ,we have now reached the outer
 point of the promontory1 where the     
seaward wave1 as it comes rolling       

unbroken from the ,pole1 crosses1 in    
nearing the shore1 the eastward sweep of
 the great ,gulf-stream1 and then casts 
itself headlong on the rocks4 ,the view 
has been extending with almost every    
step we have taken1 and it has now      
expanded into a wide and noble prospect 
of ocean and bay1 island and main1 bold 
surf-skirted headlands1 and green       
retiring hollows4 ,yonder1 on the one   
hand1 are the ,orkneys1 rising dim and  
blue over the foam-mottled currents of  
the ,pentland ,frith2 and yonder1 on the
 other1 the far-stretching promontory of
 ,holborn ,head1 with the line of coast 
that sweeps along the opposite side of  
the bay2 here sinking in abrupt         
flagstone precipices direct into the    
tide2 there receding in grassy banks    
formed of a dark blue diluvium4 ,the    
fields and dwellings of living men      
mingle in the landscape with old        
episcopal ruins and ancient             
burying-grounds2 and yonder1 well-nigh  
in the opening of the ,frith1 gleams    

ruddy to the sun1--a true blood-colored 
blush1 when all around is azure or      
pale1--the tall ,red ,sandstone         
precipices of ,dunnet ,head4 ,it has    
been suggested that the planet ,mars may
 owe its red color to the extensive     
development of some such formation as   
the ,old ,red ,sandstone of our own     
planet3 the existing formation in ,mars 
may1 at the present time1 it is said1 be
 a ,red ,sandstone formation4 ,it seems 
much more probable1 however1 that the   
red flush which characterizes the whole 
of that planet1--its oceans as certainly
 as its continents1--should be rather   
owing to some widely-diffused           
peculiarity of the surrounding          
atmosphere1 than to aught peculiar in   
the varied surface of land and water    
which that atmosphere surrounds2 but    
certainly the extensive existence of    
such a red system might produce the     
effect4 ,if the rocks and soils of      
,dunnet ,head formed average specimens  
of those of our globe generally1 we     

could look across the heavens at ,mars  
with a disk vastly more rubicund and    
fiery than his own4 ,the earth1 as seen 
from the moon1 would seem such a planet 
bathed in blood as the moon at its      
rising frequently appears from the      
earth4  ,we have rounded the promontory4
 ,the beds exposed along the coast to   
the lashings of the surf are of various 
texture and character1--here tough1     
bituminous1 and dark2 there of a pale   
hue1 and so hard that they ring to the  
hammer like plates of cast iron2 yonder 
soft1 unctuous1 and green1--a kind of   
chloritic sandstone4 ,and these very    
various powers of resistance and degrees
 of hardness we find indicated by the   
rough irregularities of the surface4    
,the softer parts retire in long        
trench-like hollows1--the harder stand  
out in sharp irregular ridges4 ,fossils 
abound3 the bituminous beds glitter     
bright with glossy quadrangular scales1 
that look like sheets of black mica     
inclosed in granite4 ,we find jaws1     

teeth1 tubercled plates1 skull-caps1    
spines1 and fucoids1--tombs among which 
to contemplate1 says ,mr4 ,dick1 of     
which ,hervey never dreamed4 ,the       
condition of complete keeping in which  
we discover some of these remains1 even 
when exposed to the incessant dash of   
the surf1 seems truly wonderful4 ,we see
 scales of ,holoptychius standing up in 
bold relief from the hard cherty rock   
that has worn from around them1 with all
 the tubercles and wavy ridges of their 
sculpture entire4 ,this state of keeping
 seems to be wholly owing to the curious
 chemical change that has taken place in
 their substance4 ,ere the skeleton of  
the ,bruce1 disinterred entire after the
 lapse of five centuries1 was           
recommitted to the tomb1 there were such
 measures taken to secure its           
preservation1 that were it to be again  
disinterred even after as many centuries
 more had passed1 it might be found     
retaining unbroken its gigantic         
proportions4 ,there was molten pitch    

poured over the bones in a state of     
sufficient fluidity to permeate all     
their pores1 and fill up the central    
hollows1 and which1 soon hardening      
around them1 formed a bituminous matrix1
 in which they may lie unchanged for    
more than a thousand years4 ,now1       
exactly such was the process of keeping 
to which nature resorted with these     
skeletons of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4  
,the animal matter with which they were 
charged had been converted into a hard  
black bitumen4 ,like the bones of the   
,bruce1 they are bones steeped in pitch2
 and so thoroughly is every pore and    
hollow still occupied1 that1 when cast  
into the fire1 they flamed like torches4
 ,in one of the beds at which we have   
now arrived ,mr4 ,dick found the        
occipital plates of a ,holoptychius of  
gigantic proportions4 ,the frontal      
plates measured full sixteen inches     
across1 and from the nape of the neck to
 a little above the place of the eyes1  
full eighteen2 while a single plate     

belonging to the lower part of the head 
measures thirteen and a half inches by  
seven and a half4 ,i have remarked1 in  
my little work on the ,old ,red         
,sandstone1--founding on a large amount 
of negative evidence1 that a mediocrity 
of size and bulk seems to have obtained 
among the fish of the ,lower ,old ,red1 
though in at least the ,upper formation1
 a considerable increase in both took   
place4 ,a single piece of positive      
evidence1 however1 outweighs whole      
volumes of a merely negative kind4 ,from
 the entire plate now in my possession1 
which is identical with one figured in  
,mr4 ,noble of ,st4 ,madoes' specimen1  
and from the huge fragments of the upper
 plates now before me1 some of which are
 full five-eighth parts of an inch in   
thickness1 ,i am prepared to demonstrate
 that this ,holoptychius of the ,lower  
,old ,red must have been at least thrice
 the size of the ,holoptychius          
,nobilissimus of ,clashbennie4  ,still  
we pass on1 though with no difficulty1  

over the rough contorted crags1 worn by 
the surf into deep ruts and uneven      
ridges1 gnarled protuberances1 and      
crater-like hollows4 ,the fossiliferous 
beds are still very numerous1 and       
largely charged with remains4 ,we see   
dermal bones1 spines1 scales1 and jaws1 
projecting in high relief from the      
sea-worn surface of the ledges below1   
and from the weatherworn faces of the   
precipices above2 for an uneven wall of 
crags some thirty or forty feet high1   
now runs along the shore4 ,we have      
reached what seems a large mole1 that   
sloping downwards athwart the beach from
 the precipices1 like a huge boat-pier1 
runs far into the surf4 ,we find it     
composed of a siliceous bed1 so         
intensely compact and hard1 that it has 
preserved its proportions entire1 while 
every other rock has worn from around   
it4 ,for century after century have the 
storms of the fierce north-west sent    
their long ocean-nursed waves to dash   
against it in foam2 for century after   

century have the never-ceasing currents 
of the ,pentland chafed against its     
steep sides1 or eddied over its rough   
crest2 and yet still does it remain     
unwasted and unworn1--its abrupt wall   
retaining all its former steepness1 and 
every angular jutting all the original  
sharpness of edge4 ,as we advance the   
scenery becomes wilder and more broken3 
here an irregular wall of rock projects 
from the crags towards the sea2 there a 
dock-like hollow1 in which the water    
gleams green1 intrudes from the sea upon
 the crags2 we pass a deep              
lime-encrusted cave1 with which         
tradition associates some wild legends1 
and which1 from the supposed resemblance
 of the hanging stalactites to the      
entrails of a large animal wounded in   
the chase1 bears the name of            
,pudding-,gno2 and then1 turning an     
angle of the coast1 we enter a solitary 
bay1 that presents at its upper         
extremity a flat expanse of sand4 ,our  
walk is still over sepulchres charged   

with the remains of the long-departed4  
,scales of ,holoptychius abound1        
scattered like coin over the surface of 
the ledges4 ,it would seem--to borrow   
from ,mr4 ,dick--as if some old lord of 
the treasury1 who flourished in the days
 of the coal-money currency1 had taken a
 squandering fit at ,sanday ,bay1 and   
tossed the dingy contents of his        
treasure-chest by shovelfuls upon the   
rocks4 ,mr4 ,dick found in this locality
 some of his finest specimens1 one of   
which--the inner side of the skull-cap  
of a ,holoptychius1 with every plate    
occupying its proper place1 and the     
large angular holes through which the   
eyes looked out still entire--,i trust  
to be able by and by to present to the  
public in a good engraving4 ,there occur
 jaws1 plates1 scales spines1--the      
remains of fucoids1 too1 of great size  
and in vast abundance4 ,mr4 ,dick has   
disinterred from among the rocks of     
,sanday ,bay flattened carbonaceous     
stems four inches in diameter4 ,we are  

still within an hour's walk of ,thurso2 
but in that brief hour how many marvels 
have we witnessed6--how vast an amount  
of the vital mechanisms of a perished   
creation have we not passed over6 ,our  
walk has been along ranges of           
sepulchres1 greatly more wonderful than 
those of ,thebes or ,petraea1 and mayhap
 a thousand times more ancient4 ,there  
is no lack of life along the shores of  
the solitary little bay4 ,the shriek of 
the sparrow-hawk mingles from the cliffs
 with the hoarse deep croak of the      
raven2 the cormorant on some            
wave-encircled ledge1 hangs out his dark
 wing to the breeze2 the spotted diver1 
plying his vocation on the shallows     
beyond1 dives and then appears1 and     
dives and appears again1 and we see the 
silver glitter of scales from his beak2 
and far away in the offing the sunlight 
falls on a scull of seagulls1 that      
flutter upwards1 downwards1 and athwart1
 now in the air1 thick as midges over   
some forest-brook in an evening of      

midsummer4  ,but we again pass onwards1 
amid a wild ruinous scene of abrupt     
faults1 detached fragments of rocks1 and
 reversed strata3 again the ledges      
assume their ordinary position and      
aspect1 and we rise from lower to higher
 and still higher beds in the           
formation1--for such1 as ,i have already
 remarked1 is the general arrangement   
from west to east1 along the northern   
coast of ,caithness1 of the ,old ,red   
,sandstone4 ,the great ,conglomerate    
base of the formation we find largely   
developed at ,port ,skerry1 just where  
the western boundary line of the county 
divides it from the county of           
,sutherland2 its thick upper coping of  
sandstone we see forming the tall cliffs
 of ,dunnet ,head2 and the greater part 
of the space between1 nearly twenty     
miles as the crow flies1 is occupied    
chiefly by the shales1 grits1 and       
flagstones1 which we have found charged 
so abundantly with the                  
strangely-organized ichthyolites of the 

second stage of vertebrate existence4   
,in the twenty intervening miles there  
are many breaks and faults1 and so there
 may be1 of course1 recurrences of the  
same strata1 and re-appearances of the  
same beds2 but1 after making large      
allowance for partial foldings and      
repetitions1 we must regard the         
development of this formation1 with     
which the twenty miles are occupied1 as 
truly enormous4 ,and yet it is but one  
of three that occur in a single system4 
,we reach the long flat bay of ,dunnet1 
and cross its waste of sands4 ,the      
incoherent coils of the sand-worm lie   
thick on the surface2 and here a swarm  
of buzzing flies1 disturbed by the foot1
 rises in a cloud from some tuft of     
tangled sea-weed2 and here myriads of   
gray crustaceous sand-hoppers dart      
sidelong in the little pools1 or vault  
from the drier ridges a few inches into 
the air4 ,were the trilobites of the    
,silurian system1--at one period1 as    
their remains testify1 more than equally

 abundant1--creatures of similar habits8
 ,we have at length arrived at the tall 
sandstone precipices of ,dunnet1 with   
their broad decaying fronts of red and  
yellow2 but in vain may we ply hammer   
and chisel among them3 not a scale1 not 
a plate1 not even the stain of an       
imperfect fucoid appears4 ,we have      
reached the upper boundary of the ,lower
 ,old ,red formation1 and find it       
bordered by a desert devoid of all trace
 of life4 ,some of the characteristic   
types of the formation re-appear in the 
upper deposits2 but though there is a   
reproduction of the original works in   
their more characteristic passages1 if  
,i may so speak1 many of the readings   
are diverse1 and the editions are all   
new4  ,it is one of the circumstances of
 peculiar interest with which ,geology  
at its present stage is invested1 that  
there is no man of energy and           
observation who may not rationally      
indulge in the hope of extending its    
limits by adding to its facts4 ,mr4     

,dick1 an intelligent tradesman of      
,thurso1 agreeably occupies his hours of
 leisure1 for a few months1 in detaching
 from the rocks in his neighborhood     
their organic remains2 and thus succeeds
 in adding to the existing knowledge of 
palaeozoic life1 by disinterring        
ichthyolites which even ,agassiz himself
 would delight to figure and describe4  
,several of the specimens in my         
possession1 which ,i owe to the kindness
 of ,mr4 ,dick1 are so decidedly unique1
 that they would be regarded as         
strangers in the completest geological  
museums extant4 ,it is a not uncurious  
fact1 that when the ,thurso tradesman   
was pursuing his labors of exploration  
among rocks beside the ,pentland ,frith1
 a man of similar character was pursuing
 exactly similar labors1 with nearly    
similar results1 among rocks of nearly  
the same era1 that bound1 on the coast  
of ,cornwall1 the ,british ,channel4    
,when the one was hammering in          
,ready-money ,cove1 the other1 at the   

opposite end of the island1 was         
disturbing the echoes of ,pudding-,gno2 
and scales1 plates1 spines1 and         
occipital fragments of palaeozoic fishes
 rewarded the labors of both4 ,in an    
article on the scientific meeting at    
,york1 which appeared in ,chambers'     
,journal in the ,november of last year1 
the reading public were introduced to a 
singularly meritorious naturalist1 ,mr4 
,charles ,peach1#i a private in the     
mounted guard 7preventive service71     
stationed on the southern coast of      
,cornwall1 who has made several         
interesting discoveries on the outer    
confines of the animal kingdom1 that    
have added considerably to the list of  
our ,british zoophites and              
echinodermata4 ,the article1 a          
finely-toned one1 redolent of that      
pleasing sympathy which ,mr4 ,robert    
,chambers has ever evinced with         
struggling merit1 referred chiefly to   
,mr4 ,peach's labors as a naturalist2   
but he is also well known in the        

geological field4     ,,chapter ,,xii4  
,ichthyolite ,beds of ,clune and        
,lethenbarn--,limestone                 
,quarry--,destruction of ,urns and      
,sarcophagi in the                      
,lime-kiln--,nodules opened--,beautiful 
coloring of the      ,remains--,patrick 
,duff's ,description--,new ,genus of    
,morayshire      ,ichthyolite           
described--,form and size of the        
,nodules or ,stone                      
,coffins--,illustration from ,mrs4      
,marshall's ,cements--,forest of        
,darnaway--,the ,hill of                
,berries--,sluie--,elgin--,outliers of  
the ,weald      and the                 
,oolite--,description of the ,weald at  
,linksfield--,mr4 ,duff's               
,lepidotus minor--,eccentric ,types of  
,fish ,scales--,visit to the            
,sandstones of ,scat-,craig--,fine suit 
of ,fossils at ,scat-,craig--,true      
graveyard ,bones1 not mere              
,impressions--,varieties of             
pattern--,the      ,diker's ,carved     

,flowers--,stagonolepis1 a new          
genus--,termination      of the ,ramble4
   ,my term of furlough was fast drawing
 to a close4 ,it was now ,wednesday the 
#adth ,august1 and on ,monday the #aith 
it behooved me to be seated at my desk  
in ,edinburgh4 ,i took boat1 and crossed
 the ,moray ,frith from ,cromarty to    
,nairn1 and then walked on1 in a very   
hot sun1 over ,shakspeare's ,moor to    
,boghole1 with the intention of         
examining the ichthyolite beds of ,clune
 and ,lethenbarn1 and afterwards        
striking across the country to ,forres1 
through the forest of ,darnaway1 where  
the forest abuts on the ,findhorn1 at   
the picturesque village of ,sluie4 ,when
 ,i had last crossed the moor1 exactly  
ten years before1 it was in a tremendous
 storm of rain and wind2 and the dark   
platform of heath and bog1 with its old 
ruinous castle standing sentry over it1 
seemed greatly more worthy of the genius
 of the dramatist1 as cloud after cloud 
dashed over it1 like ocean waves        

breaking on some low volcanic island1   
than it did on this clear1 breathless   
afternoon1 in the unclouded sunshine4   
,but the sublimity of the moor on which 
,macbeth met the witches depends in no  
degree on that of the heath near        
,forres1 whether seen in foul weather or
 fair2 its topography bears relation to 
but the mind of ,shakspeare2 and neither
 tile-draining nor the plough will ever 
lessen an inch of its area4  ,the       
limestone quarry of ,clune has been     
opened on the edge of an extensive moor1
 about three miles from the public road1
 where the province of ,moray sweeps    
upwards from the broad fertile belt of  
corn-land that borders on the sea1 to   
the brown and shaggy interior4 ,there is
 an old-fashioned bare-looking          
farm-house on the one side1 surrounded  
by a few uninclosed patches of corn2 and
 the moorland1 here dark with heath1    
there gray with lichens1 stretches away 
on the other4 ,the quarry itself is     
merely a piece of moor that has been    

trenched to the depth of some five or   
six feet from the surface1 and that     
presents1 at the line where the broken  
ground leans against the ground still   
unbroken1 a low uneven frontage1        
somewhat resembling that of a ruinous   
stone-fence4 ,it has been opened in the 
outcrop of an ichthyolite bed of the    
,lower ,old ,red ,sandstone1 on which in
 this locality the thin moory soil      
immediately rests1 without the          
intervention of the common boulder clay 
of the country2 and the fish-enveloping 
nodules1 which are composed in this bed 
of a rich limestone1 have been burnt1   
for a considerable number of years1 for 
the purposes of the agriculturist and   
builder4 ,there was a kiln smoking this 
evening beside the quarry2 and a few    
laborers were engaged with shovel and   
pickaxe in cutting into the stratified  
clay of the unbroken ground1 and        
throwing up its spindle-shaped nodules  
on the bank1 as materials for their next
 burning4 ,antiquaries have often       

regretted that the sculptured marble of 
,greece and ,egypt1--classic urns1 to   
whose keeping the ashes of the dead had 
been consigned1 and antique sarcophagi1 
roughened with hieroglyphics1--should   
have been so often condemned to the     
lime-kiln by the illiterate ,copt or    
tasteless ,mohammedan2 and ,i could not 
help experiencing a somewhat similar    
feeling here4 ,the urns and sarcophagi1 
many times more ancient than those of   
,greece and ,egypt1 and that told still 
more wondrous stories1 lay thickly      
ranged in this strange catacomb1--so    
thickly1 that there were quite enough   
for the lime-kiln and the geologists    
too2 but ,i found the kiln got all1 and 
this at a time when the collector finds 
scarce any fossils more difficult to    
procure than those of the ,lower ,old   
,red ,sandstone4 ,i asked one of the    
laborers whether he did not preserve    
some of the better specimens1 in the    
hope of finding an occasional purchaser4
 ,not now1 he said3 he used to preserve 

them in the days of ,lady ,cumming of   
,altyre2 but since her ladyship's death1
 no one in the neighborhood seemed to   
care for them1 and strangers rarely came
 the way4  ,the first nodule ,i laid    
open contained a tolerably              
well-preserved ,cheiracanthus2 the      
second1 an indifferent specimen of      
,glyptolepis2 and three others1 in      
succession1 remains of ,coccosteus4     
,almost every nodule of one especial    
layer near the top incloses its         
organism4 ,the coloring is frequently of
 great beauty4 ,in the ,cromarty1 as in 
the ,caithness1 ,orkney1 and ,gamrie    
specimens1 the animal matter with which 
the bones were originally charged has   
been converted into a dark glossy       
bitumen1 and the plates and scales      
glitter from a ground of opaque gray1   
like pieces of japan-work suspended     
against a rough-cast wall4 ,but here1 as
 in the other ,morayshire deposits1 the 
plates and scales exist in nearly their 
original condition1 as bone that retains

 its white color in the centre of the   
specimens1 where its bulk is greatest1  
and is often beautifully tinged at its  
thinner edges by the iron with which the
 stone is impregnated4 ,it is not rare  
to find some of the better preserved    
fossils colored in a style that reminds 
one of the more gaudy fishes of the     
tropics4 ,we see the body of the        
ichthyolite1 with its finely arranged   
scales1 of a pure snow-white4 ,along the
 edges1 where the original substance of 
the bone1 combining with the oxide of   
the matrix1 has formed a phosphate of   
iron1 there runs a delicately shaded    
band of plum-blue2 while the out-spread 
fins1 charged still more largely with   
the oxide1 are of a deep red4 ,the      
description of ,mr4 ,patrick ,duff1 in  
his ,geology of ,moray1 so redolent of  
the quiet enthusiasm of the true        
fossil-hunter1 especially applies to the
 ichthyolites of this quarry1 and to    
those of a neighboring opening in the   
same bed1--the quarry of ,lethenbarn4   

,the nodules1 says ,mr4 ,duff1 which in 
their external shape resemble the stones
 used in the game of curling1 but are   
elliptical bodies instead of round1 lie 
in the shale on their flat sides1 in a  
line with the dip4 ,when taken out1 they
 remind one of water-worn pebbles1 or   
rather boulders of a shore4 ,a smart    
blow on the edge splits them along on   
the major axis1 and exposes the         
interesting inclosure4 ,the practised   
geologist knows well the thrilling      
interest attending the breaking up of   
the nodule3 the uninitiated cannot      
sympathize with it4 ,there is no time   
when a fossil looks so well as when     
first exposed4 ,there is a clammy       
moisture on the surface of the scales or
 plates1 which brings out the beautiful 
coloring1 and adds brilliancy to the    
enamel4 ,exposure to the weather soon   
dims the lustre2 and even in a cabinet  
an old specimen is easily known by its  
tarnished aspect4  ,i found at ,clune no
 ichthyolite to which the geologists    

have not been already introduced1 or    
with which ,i had not been acquainted   
previously in the ,cromarty beds4 ,the  
,lower ,old ,red of ,morayshire         
furnishes1 however1 at least one genus  
not yet figured nor described1 and of   
which1 so far as ,i am aware1 only a    
single specimen has yet been found4 ,it 
seems to have been a small              
delicately-formed fish2 its head covered
 with plates2 its body with round scales
 of a size intermediate between those of
 the ,osteolepis and ,cheiracanthus2 its
 anterior dorsal fin placed1 as in the  
,dipterus1 ,diplopterus1 and            
,glyptolepis1 directly opposite to its  
ventral fins2 the enamelled surfaces of 
the minute scales were fretted with     
microscopic undulating ridges1 that     
radiated from the centre to the         
circumference2 similar furrows traversed
 the occipital plates2 and the fins1    
unfurnished with spines1 were formed1 as
 in the ,dipterus and ,diplopterus1 of  
thick-set1 enamelled rays4 ,the         

posterior fins and tail of the creature 
were not preserved4 ,i may mention1 for 
the satisfaction of the geologist1 that 
,i saw this unique fossil in the        
possession of the late ,lady ,cumming of
 ,altyre1 a few weeks previous to the   
lamented death of her ladyship2 and     
that1 on assuring her it was as new in  
relation to the ,cromarty and ,caithness
 fish-beds as to those of ,moray1 she   
intimated an intention of forthwith     
sending a drawing of it to ,agassiz2 but
 her untimely decease in all probability
 interfered with the design1 and ,i have
 not since heard of this new genus of   
ichthyolite1 or of her ladyship's       
interesting specimen1 hitherto          
apparently its only representative and  
memorial4 ,in the ,morayshire1 as in the
 ,cromarty beds1 the limestone nodules  
take very generally the form of the fish
 which they inclose3 they are stone     
coffins1 carefully moulded to express   
the outline of the corpses within4 ,is  
the fish entire8--the nodule is of a    

spindle form1 broader at the head and   
narrower at the tail4 ,is it slightly   
curved1 in the attitude of violent      
death8--the nodule has also its slight  
curve4 ,is it bent round1 so that the   
extremities of the creature meet8--the  
nodule1 in conformity with the outline1 
is circular4 ,is it disjointed and      
broken8--the nodule is correspondingly  
irregular4 ,in nine cases out of ten1   
the inclosing coffin1 like that of an   
old mummy1 conforms to the outline of   
the organism which it incloses4 ,it is  
further worthy of remark1 too1 that a   
large fish forms generally a large      
nodule1 and a small fish a small one4   
,here1 for instance1 is a nodule fifteen
 inches in length1 here a nodule of only
 three inches1 and here a nodule of     
intermediate size1 that measures eight  
inches4 ,we find that the large nodule  
contains a ,cheirolepis thirteen inches 
in length1 the small one a ,diplacanthus
 of but two and a half inches in length1
 and the intermediate one a             

,cheiracanthus of seven inches4 ,the    
size of the fish evidently regulated    
that of the nodule4 ,the coffin is      
generally as good a fit in size as in   
form2 and the bulk of the nodule bears  
almost always a definite proportion to  
the amount of animal matter round which 
it had formed4 ,i was a good deal       
struck1 a few weeks ago1 in glancing    
over a series of experiments conducted  
for a different purpose by a lady of    
singular ingenuity1--,mrs4 ,marshall1   
the inventor and patentee of the        
beautiful marble-looking plaster1       
,intonacco1--to find what seemed a      
similar principle illustrated in the    
compositions of her various cements4    
,these are all formed of a basis of     
lime1 mixed in certain proportions with 
organic matter4 ,the reader must be     
familiar with cements of this kind long 
known among the people1 and much used in
 the repairing of broken pottery1 such  
as a cement compounded of quicklime made
 of oyster shells1 mixed up with a glue 

made of skim-milk cheese1 and another   
cement made also of quicklime mixed up  
with the whites of eggs4 ,in ,mrs4      
,marshall's cements1 the organic matter 
is variously compounded of both animal  
and vegetable substances1 while the     
earth generally employed is sulphate of 
lime2 and the result is a close-grained 
marble-like composition1 considerably   
harder than the sulphate in its original
 crystalline state4 ,she had deposited1 
in one set of her experiments1 the      
calcareous earth1 mixed up with sand1   
clay1 and other extraneous matters1 on  
some of the commoner molluscs of our    
shores2 and universally found that the  
mass1 incoherent everywhere else1 had   
acquired solidity wherever it had been  
permeated by the animal matter of the   
molluscs4 ,each animal1 in proportion to
 its size1 is found to retain1 as in the
 fossiliferous spindles of the ,old ,red
 ,sandstone1 its coherent nodule around 
it4 ,one point in the natural           
phenomenon1 however1 still remains      

unillustrated by the experiments of     
,mrs4 ,marshall4 ,we see in them the    
animal matter giving solidity to the    
lime in immediate contact with it2 but  
we do not see it possessing any such    
affinity for it as to form1 in an       
argillaceous compound1 like that of the 
ichthyolite beds1 a centre of attraction
 powerful enough to draw together the   
lime diffused throughout the mass4 ,it  
still remains for the geologic chemist  
to discover on what principle masses of 
animal matter should form the attracting
 nuclei of limestone nodules4  ,the     
declining sun warned me that ,i had     
lingered rather longer than was prudent 
among the ichthyolites of ,clune2 and   
so1 striking in an eastern direction    
across a flat moor1 through which ,i    
found the schistose gneiss of the       
district protruding in masses resembling
 half-buried boulders1 ,i entered the   
forest of ,darnaway4 ,there was no path1
 and much underwood1 and ,i enjoyed the 
luxury of steering my course1 out of    

sight of road and landmark1 by the sun1 
and of being not sure at times whether  
,i had skill enough to play the part of 
the bush-ranger under his guidance4 ,a  
sultry day had clarified and cooled down
 into a clear1 balmy evening2 the slant 
beam was falling red on a thousand tall 
trunks1--here gleaming along some bosky 
vista1 to which the white silky         
wood-moths1 fluttering by scores1 and   
the midge and the mosquito dancing by   
myriads1 imparted a motty gold-dust     
atmosphere2 there penetrating in        
straggling rays far into some gloomy    
recess1 and resting in patches of flame1
 amid the darkness1 on gnarled stem1 or 
moss-cushioned stump1 or gray beard-like
 lichen4 ,i dislodged1 in passing       
through the underwood1 many a tiny      
tenant of the forest1 that had a better 
right to harbor among its wild          
raspberries and junipers than ,i had to 
disturb them1--velvety night-moths1 that
 had sat with folded wings under the    
leaves1 awaiting the twilight1 and that 

now took short blind flights of some two
 or three yards1 to get out of my       
way1--and robust1 well-conditioned      
spiders1 whose elastic1 well-tightened  
lines snapped sharp before me as ,i     
pressed through1 and then curled up on  
the scarce perceptible breeze1 like     
broken strands of wool4 ,but every man1 
however ,whiggish in his inclinations1  
entertains a secret respect for the     
powerful2 and though ,i passed within a 
few feet of a large wasps' nest1        
suspended to a jutting bough of furze1  
the wasps ,i took especial care not to  
disturb4 ,i pressed on1 first through a 
broad belt of the forest1 occupied      
mainly by melancholy ,scotch firs2 next 
through an opening1 in which ,i found an
 ,american-looking village of mingled   
cottages1 gardens1 fields and wood2 and 
then through another broad forest-belt1 
in which the ground is more varied with 
height and hollow than in the first1 and
 in which ,i found only forest trees1   
mostly oaks and beeches4 ,i heard the   

roar of the ,findhorn before me1 and    
premised ,i was soon to reach the river2
 but whether ,i should pursue it upwards
 or downwards1 in order to find the     
ferry at ,sluie1 was more than ,i knew4 
,there lay in my track a beautiful      
hillock1 that reclines on the one side  
to the setting sun1 and sinks sheer on  
the other1 in a mural sandstone         
precipice1 into the ,findhorn4 ,the     
trees open over it1 giving full access  
to the free air and the sunshine2 and ,i
 found it as thickly studded over with  
berries as if it had been the special   
care of half a dozen gardeners4 ,the red
 light fell yet redder on the thickly   
inlaid cranberries and stone-brambles of
 the slope1 and here and there1 though  
so late in the season1 on a patch of    
wild strawberries2 while over all1 dark1
 delicate blueberries1 with their       
flour-bedusted coats1 were studded as   
profusely as if they had been peppered  
over it by a hailstone cloud4 ,i have   
seldom seen such a school-boy's         

paradise1 and ,i was just thinking what 
a rare discovery ,i would have deemed it
 had ,i made it thirty years sooner1    
when ,i heard a whooping in the wood1   
and four little girls1 the eldest       
scarcely eleven1 came bounding up to the
 hillock1 their lips and fingers already
 dyed purple1 and dropped themselves    
down among the berries with a shout4    
,they were sadly startled to find they  
had got a companion in so solitary a    
recess2 but ,i succeeded in convincing  
them that they were in no manner of     
danger from him2 and on asking whether  
there was any of them skilful enough to 
show me the way to ,sluie1 they told me 
they all lived there1 and were on their 
way home from school1 which they        
attended at the village in the forest4  
,hours had elapsed since the master had 
let them go1 but in so fine an evening  
the berries wouldn't1 and so they were  
still in the wood4 ,i accompanied them  
to ,sluie1 and was ferried over the     
river in a salmon coble4 ,there is no   

point where the ,findhorn1 celebrated   
among our ,scotch streams for the beauty
 of its scenery1 is so generally        
interesting as in the neighborhood of   
this village2 forest and river1--each a 
paragon in its kind1--uniting for       
several miles together what is most     
choice and characteristic in the        
peculiar features of both4 ,in no       
locality is the surface of the great    
forest of ,darnaway more undulated1 or  
its trees nobler2 and nowhere does the  
river present a livelier succession of  
eddying pools and rippling shallows1 or 
fret itself in sweeping on its zig-zag  
course1 now to the one bank1 now to the 
other1 against a more picturesque and   
imposing series of cliffs4 ,but to the  
geologist the locality possesses an     
interest peculiar to itself4 ,the       
precipices on both sides are charged    
with fossils of the ,upper ,old ,red    
,sandstone3 they form part of a vast    
indurated graveyard1 excavated to the   
depth of an hundred feet by the         

ceaseless wear of the stream2 and when  
the waters are low1 the teeth-plates and
 scales of ichthyolites1 all of them    
specifically different from those of    
,clune and ,lethenbarn1 and most of them
 generically so1 may be disinterred from
 the strata in handfuls4 ,but the       
closing evening left me neither light   
nor time for the work of exploration4 ,i
 heard the curfew in the woods from the 
yet distant town1 and dark night had set
 in long ere ,i reached ,forres4 ,on the
 following morning ,i took a seat in one
 of the south coaches1 and got on to    
,elgin an hour before noon4  ,elgin1 one
 of the finest of our northern towns1   
occupies the centre of a richly         
fossiliferous district1 which wants only
 better sections to rank it among the   
most interesting in the kingdom4 ,an    
undulating platform of ,old ,red        
,sandstone1 in which we see1 largely    
developed in one locality1 the lower    
formation of the ,coccosteus1 and in    
another1 still more largely1 the upper  

formation of the ,holoptychius          
,nobilissimus1 forms1 if ,i may so      
speak1 the foundation deposit of the    
district1--the true geologic plane of   
the country2 and1 thickly scattered over
 this plane1 we find numerous detached  
knolls and patches of the ,weald and the
 ,oolite1 deposited like heaps of       
travelled soil1 or of lime shot down by 
the agriculturist on the surface of a   
field4 ,the ,old ,red platform is       
mottled by the outliers of a            
comparatively modern time3 the          
sepulchral mounds of later races1 that  
lived and died during the reptile age of
 the world1 repose on the surface of an 
ancient burying-ground1 charged with    
remains of the long anterior age of the 
fish2 and over all1 as a general        
covering1 rest the red boulder-clay and 
the vegetable mould4 ,mr4 ,duff1 in his 
valuable ,sketch of the ,geology of     
,moray1 enumerates five several         
localities in the neighborhood of ,elgin
 in which there occur outliers of the   

,weald2 though1 of course1 in a country 
so flat1 and in which the diluvium lies 
deep1 we cannot hold that all have been 
discovered4 ,and though the outliers of 
the ,oolite have not yet been           
ascertained to be equally numerous1 they
 seem of greater extent2 the isolated   
masses detached from them by the        
denuding agencies lie thick over        
extensive areas2 and in working out the 
course of improvement which has already 
rendered ,elginshire the garden of the  
north1 the ditcher at one time touches  
on some bed of shale charged with the   
characteristic ,ammonites and           
,belemnites of the system1 and at       
another on some calcareous sandstone    
bed1 abounding with its ,pectens1 its   
,plagiostoma1 and its ,pinnae4 ,some of 
these outliers1 whether ,wealden or     
,oolitic1 are externally of great       
beauty4 ,they occur in the parish of    
,lhanbryde1 about three miles to the    
east of ,elgin1 in the form of green    
pyramidal hillocks1 mottled with trees1 

and at ,linksfield1 as a confluent group
 of swelling grassy mounds4 ,and from   
their insulated character1 and the      
abundance of organisms which they       
inclose1 they serve to remind one of    
those green pyramids of ,central        
,america in which the traveller finds   
deposited the skeleton remains of       
extinct races4 ,it has been suggested by
 ,mr4 ,duff1 in his ,sketch1--a         
suggestion which the late               
,sutherlandshire discoveries of ,mr4    
,robertson of ,inverugie have tended to 
confirm1--that the ,oolite and ,weald of
 ,moray do not1 in all probability1     
represent consecutive formations3 they  
seem to bear the same sort of relation  
to each other as that mutually borne by 
the ,mountain ,limestone and the ,coal  
,measures4 ,the one1 of lacustrine or of
 estuary origin1 exhibits chiefly the   
productions of the land and its fresh   
waters2 the other1 as decidedly of      
marine origin1 is charged with the      
remains of animals whose proper home was

 the sea4 ,but the productions1 though  
dissimilar1 were in all probability     
contemporary1 just as the crabs and     
periwinkles of the ,frith of ,forth are 
contemporary with the frogs and lymnea  
of ,flanders moss4  ,i had little time  
for exploration in the neighborhood of  
,elgin2 but that little1 through the    
kindness of my friend ,mr4 ,duff1 ,i was
 enabled to economize4 ,we first visited
 together the outlier of the ,weald at  
,linksfield4 ,it may be found rising in 
the landscape1 a short mile below the   
town1 in the form of a green undulating 
hillock1 half cut through by a limestone
 quarry2 and the section thus furnished 
is of great beauty4 ,the basis on which 
the hillock rests is formed of the      
well-marked calcareous band in the      
,upper ,old ,red1 known as the          
,cornstone1 which we find occurring     
here1 as elsewhere1 as a pale           
concretionary limestone of considerable 
richness1 though in some patches largely
 mixed with a green argillaceous earth1 

and in others passing into a siliceous  
chert4 ,over the pale-colored base1 the 
section of the hillock is ribbed like an
 onyx3 for about forty feet1 bands of   
gray1 green1 and blue clays alternate   
with bands of cream-colored1            
light-green1 and dark-blue limestones2  
and over all there rests a band of the  
red boulder-clay1 capped by a thin layer
 of vegetable mould4 ,it is a curious   
circumstance1 well fitted to impress on 
the geologist the necessity of cautious 
induction1 that the boulder-clay not    
only overlies1 but also underlies1 this 
fresh-water deposit2 a bed of           
unequivocally the same origin and       
character with that at the top lying    
intercalated1 as if filling up two low  
flat vaults1 between the upper surface  
of the ,cornstone and the lower band of 
the ,weald4 ,it would1 however1 be as   
unsafe to infer that this intervening   
bed is older than the overlying ones1 as
 to infer that the rubbish which chokes 
up the vaulted dungeon of an old castle 

is more ancient than the arch that      
stretches over it4 ,however introduced  
into the cavity which it                
occupies1--whether by land-springs or   
otherwise1--we find it containing       
fragments of the green and pale         
limestones that lie above1 just as the  
rubbish of the castle dungeon might be  
found to contain fragments of the castle
 itself4 ,when the bed of red           
boulder-clay was intercalated1 the rocks
 of the overlying ,wealden were exactly 
the same sort of indurated substances   
that they are now1 and were yielding to 
the operations of some denuding agent4  
,the alternating clays and limestones of
 this outlier1 each of which must have  
been in turn an upper layer at the      
bottom of some lake or estuary1 are     
abundantly fossiliferous4 ,in some the  
fresh-water character of the deposit is 
well marked3 ,cyprides are so           
exceedingly numerous in some of the     
bands1 that they impart to the stone an 
,oolitic appearance2 while others of a  

dark-colored limestone we see strewed   
over1 like the oozy bottom of a modern  
lake1 with specimens of what seem       
,paludina1 ,cyclas1 and ,planorbus4     
,some of the other shells are more      
equivocal3 a ,mytilus or ,modiola1 which
 abounds in some of the bands1 may have 
been either a sea or a fresh-water      
shell2 and a small oyster and ,astarte  
seem decidedly marine4 ,remains of fish 
are very abundant1--scales1 plates1     
teeth1 ichthyodorulites1 and in some    
instances entire ichthyolites4 ,i saw1  
in the collection of ,mr4 ,duff1 a small
 but very entire specimen of ,lepidotus 
minor1 with the fins spread out on the  
limestone1 as in an anatomical          
preparation1 and almost every plate and 
scale in its place4 ,some of his        
specimens of ichthyodorulites1 too1 are 
exceedingly beautiful1 and of great     
size1 resembling jaws thickly set with  
teeth1 the apparent teeth being mere    
knobs ranged along the concave edge of  
the bone1 the surface of which we see   

gracefully fluted and enamelled4 ,what  
most struck me1 however1 in glancing    
over the drawers of ,mr4 ,duff1 was the 
character of the ,ganoid scales of this 
deposit4 ,the ,ganoid order in the days 
of the ,weald was growing old2 and two  
new orders1--the ,ctenoid and           
,cycloid1--were on the eve of taking its
 place in creation4 ,hitherto it had    
comprised at least two-thirds of all the
 fish that had existed ever since the   
period in which fish first began2 and   
almost every ,ganoid fish had its own   
peculiar pattern of scale4 ,but it would
 now seem as if well nigh all the       
simpler patterns were exhausted1 and as 
if1 in order to give the variety which  
nature loves1 forms of the most         
eccentric types had to be resorted to4  
,with scarce any exception save that    
furnished by the scales of the          
,lepidotus minor1 which are plain       
lozenge-shaped plates1 thickly japanned1
 the forms are strangely complex and    
irregular1 easily expressible by the    

pencil1 but beyond the reach of the pen4
 ,the remains of reptiles have been     
found occasionally1 though rarely1 in   
this outlier of the ,weald1--the        
vertebra of a ,plesiosaurus1 the femur  
of some ,chelonian reptile1 and a large 
fluted tooth1 supposed ,saurian4  ,i    
would fain have visited some of the     
neighboring outliers of the ,oolite1 but
 time did not permit4 ,mr4 ,duff's      
collection1 however1 enabled me to form 
a tolerably adequate estimate of their  
organic contents4 ,viewed in the group1 
these present nearly the same aspect as 
the organisms of the ,upper ,lias of    
,pabba4 ,there is in the same abundance 
large ,pinnae1 and well-relieved        
,pectens1 both ribbed and smooth2 the   
same abundance1 too1 of ,belemnites and 
,ammonites of resembling type4 ,both the
 ,moray outliers and the ,pabba deposit 
have their ,terebratulae1 ,gervilliae1  
,plagiostoma1 ,cardiadae1 their bright  
,ganoid scales1 and their               
imperfectly-preserved lignites4 ,they   

belong apparently to nearly the same    
period1 and must have been formed in    
nearly similar circumstances1--the one  
on the western1 the other on the eastern
 coast of a country then covered by the 
vegetation of the ,oolite1 and now      
known1 with reference to an antiquity of
 but yesterday1 as the ancient kingdom  
of ,scotland4 ,i saw among the          
,ammonites of these outliers at least   
one species1 which1 ,i believe1 has not 
yet been found elsewhere1 and which has 
been named1 after ,mr4 ,robertson of    
,inverugie1 the gentleman who first     
discovered it1 ,ammonites ,robertsoni4  
,like most of the genus to which it     
belongs1 it is an exceedingly beautiful 
shell1 with all its whorls free and     
gracefully ribbed1 and bearing on its   
back1 as its distinguishing specific    
peculiarity1 a triple keel4 ,i spent the
 evening of this day in visiting1 with  
,mr4 ,duff1 the ,upper ,old ,red        
,sandstones of ,scat-,craig4 ,in        
,elginshire1 as in ,fife and elsewhere1 

the ,upper ,old ,red consists of three  
grand divisions1--a superior bed of pale
 yellow sandstone1 which furnishes the  
finest building-stone anywhere found in 
the north of ,scotland1--an intermediate
 calcareous bed1 known technically as   
the ,cornstone1--and an inferior bed of 
sandstone1 chiefly1 in this locality1 of
 a grayish-red color1 and generally very
 incoherent in its structure4 ,the three
 beds1 as shown by the fossil contents  
of the yellow sandstones above1 and of  
the grayish-red sandstones below1 are   
members of the same formation1--a       
formation which1 in ,scotland at least1 
does not possess an organism in common  
with the ,middle ,old ,red formation2   
that of the ,cephalaspis1 as developed  
in ,forfarshire1 ,stirling1 and ,ayr1 or
 the ,lower ,old ,red formation2 that of
 the ,coccosteus1 as developed in       
,caithness1 ,cromarty1 ,inverness1 and  
,banff shires1 and in so many different 
localities in ,moray4 ,the ,sandstones  
at ,scat-,craig belong to the           

grayish-red base of the ,upper ,old ,red
 formation4 ,they lie about five miles  
south of ,elgin1 not far distant from   
where the palaeozoic deposits of the    
coast-side lean against the great       
primary nucleus of the interior4 ,we    
pass from the town1 through deep rich   
fields1 carefully cultivated and well   
inclosed3 the country1 as we advance on 
the moorlands1 becomes more open2 the   
homely cottage takes the place of the   
neat villa2 the brown heath1 of the     
grassy lea2 and unfenced patches of corn
 here and there alternate with plantings
 of dark sombre firs1 in their mediocre 
youth4 ,at length we near the southern  
boundary of the landscape1--an          
undulating moory ridge1 partially       
planted2 and see where a deep gap in the
 outline opens a way to the upland      
districts of the province1 a lively     
hill-stream descending towards the east 
through the bed which it has scooped out
 for itself in a soft red conglomerate4 
,the section we have come to explore    

lies along its course3 it has been the  
grand excavator in the densely occupied 
burial-ground over which it flows2 but  
its labors have produced but a shallow  
scratch after all1--a mere ditch1 some  
ten or twelve feet deep1 in a deposit   
the entire depth of which is supposed   
greatly to exceed a hundred fathoms4    
,the shallow section1 however1 has been 
well wrought2 and its suit of fossils is
 one of the finest1 both from the great 
specific variety which they exhibit1 and
 their excellent state of keeping1 that 
the ,upper ,old ,red ,sandstone has     
anywhere furnished4  ,so great is the   
incoherency of the matrix1 that we can  
dig into it with our chisels1 unassisted
 by the hammer4 ,it reminds us of the   
loose gravelly soil of an ancient       
graveyard1 partially consolidated by a  
night's frost1--a resemblance still     
further borne out by the condition and  
appearance of its organic contents4 ,the
 numerous bones disseminated throughout 
the mass do not exist1 as in so many of 

the ,upper ,old ,red ,sandstone rocks1  
as mere films or impressions1 but in    
their original forms1 retaining bulk as 
well as surface3 they are true graveyard
 bones1 which may be detached entire    
from the inclosing mass1 and of which1  
were we sufficiently well acquainted    
with the anatomy of the long-perished   
races to which they belonged1 entire    
skeletons might be reconstructed4 ,i    
succeeded in disinterring1 during my    
short stay1 an occipital plate of great 
beauty1 fretted on its outer surface by 
numerous tubercles1 confluent on its    
anterior part1 and surrounded on its    
posterior portion1 where they stand     
detached1 by punctulated markings4 ,i   
found also a fine scale of ,holoptychius
 ,nobilissimus1 and a small tooth1 bent 
somewhat like a nail that had been drawn
 out of its place by two opposite       
wrenches1 and from the internal         
structure of which ,professor ,owen has 
bestowed on the animal to which it      
belonged the generic name ,dendrodus4 ,i

 have ascertained1 however1 through the 
indispensable assistance of ,mr4 ,george
 ,sanderson1 that the genus             
,holoptychius of ,agassiz1 named from a 
peculiarity in the sculpture of the     
scale1 is the identical genus ,dendrodus
 of ,professor ,owen1 named from a      
peculiarity in the structure of the     
teeth4 ,those teeth of the genus        
,holoptychius1 whether of the ,lower or 
,upper ,old ,red1 that belong to the    
second or reptile row with which the    
creature's jaws were furnished1 present 
in the cross section the appearance of  
numerous branches1 like those of trees1 
radiating from a centre like spokes from
 the nave of a wheel2 and their         
arborescent aspect suggested to the     
,professor the name ,dendrodus4 ,it     
seems truly wonderful1 when one but     
considers it1 to what minute and obscure
 ramifications the variety of pattern1  
specific and generic1 which nature so   
loves to preserve1 is found to descend4 
,we see great diversity of mode and     

style in the architecture of a city     
built of brick2 but while the houses are
 different1 the bricks are always the   
same4 ,it is not so in nature4 ,the     
bricks are as dissimilar as the houses4 
,we find1 for instance1 those           
differences1 specific and generic1 that 
obtain among fishes1 both recent and    
extinct1 descending to even the         
microscopic structure of their teeth4   
,there is more variety of pattern1--in  
most cases of very elegant pattern1--in 
the sliced fragments of the teeth of the
 ichthyolites of a single formation1    
than in the carved blocks of an         
extensive calico-print yard4 ,each      
species has its own distinct pattern1 as
 if in all the individuals of which it  
consisted the same block had been       
employed to stamp it2 each genus has its
 own general type of pattern1 as if the 
same inventive idea1 variously altered  
and modified1 had been wrought upon in  
all4 ,in the genus ,dendrodus1 for      
instance1 it is the generic type1 that  

from a central nave there should        
radiate1 spoke-like1 a number of leafy  
branches2 but in the several species1   
the branches1 if ,i may so express      
myself1 belong to different shrubs1 and 
present dissimilar outlines4 ,there are 
no repetitions of earlier patterns to be
 found among the generically different  
ichthyolites of other formations4 ,we   
see in the world of fashion old modes of
 ornament continually reviving3 the     
range of invention seems limited2 and we
 find it revolving1 in consequence1 in  
an irregular1 ever-returning cycle4 ,but
 ,infinite resource did not need to     
travel in a circle1 and so we find no   
return or doublings in its course4 ,it  
has appeared to me1 that an argument    
against the transmutation of species1   
were any such needed1 might be founded  
on those inherent peculiarities of      
structure that are ascertained thus to  
pervade the entire texture of the       
framework of animals4 ,if we find one   
building differing from another merely  

in external form1 we have no difficulty 
in conceiving how1 by additions and     
alterations1 they might be made to      
present a uniform appearance2           
transmutation1 development1             
progression1--if one may use such       
terms1--seem possible in such           
circumstances4 ,but if the buildings    
differ from each other1 not only in     
external form1 but also in every brick  
and beam1 bolt and nail1 no mere scheme 
of external alteration can induce a real
 resemblance4 ,every brick must be taken
 down1 and every beam and belt removed4 
,the problem cannot be wrought by the   
remodelling of an old house3 there is no
 other mode of solving it save by the   
erection of a new one4  ,among the      
singularly interesting ,old ,red fossils
 of ,mr4 ,duff's collection ,i saw the  
impression of a large ichthyolite from  
the superior yellow sandstone of the    
,upper ,old ,red1 which had been brought
 him by a country diker only a few days 
before4 ,in breaking open a building    

stone1 the diker had found the inside of
 it1 he said1 covered over with         
curiously carved flowers2 and1 knowing  
that ,mr4 ,duff had a turn for          
curiosities1 he had brought the flowers 
to him4 ,the supposed flowers are the   
sculpturings on the scales of the       
ichthyolite2 and1 true to the analogy of
 the diker1 on at least a first glance1 
they may be held to resemble the rather 
equivocal florets of a cheap wall-paper1
 or of an ornamental tile4 ,the specimen
 exhibits the impressions of four rows  
of oblong rectangular scales4 ,one row  
contains seven of these1 and another    
eight4 ,each scale averages about an    
inch and a quarter in length1 by about  
three quarters of an inch in breadth2   
and the parallelogramical field which it
 presents is occupied by a curious piece
 of carving4 ,by a sort of pictorial    
illusion1 the device appears as if in   
motion3 it would seem as if a sudden    
explosion had taken place in the middle 
of the field1 and as if the numerous    

dislodged fragments1 propelled all      
around by the central force1 were       
hurrying to the sides4 ,but these       
seeming fragments were not elevations in
 the original scale1 but depressions4   
,they almost seem as if they had been   
indented into it1 in the way one sees   
the first heavy drops of a thunder      
shower indented into a platform of damp 
sea sand2 and this last peculiarity of  
appearance seems to have suggested the  
name which this sole representative of  
an extinct genus has received during the
 course of the last few weeks from      
,agassiz4 ,an ,elgin gentleman forwarded
 to ,neufchatel a singularly fine       
calotype of the fossil1 taken by ,mr4   
,adamson of ,edinburgh1 with a full-size
 drawing of a few of the scales2 and    
from the calotype and the drawing the   
naturalist has decided that the genus is
 entirely new1 and that henceforth it   
shall bear the descriptive name of      
,stagonolepis1 or drop-scale4 ,as ,i    
looked for the first time on this broken

 fragment of an ichthyolite1--the sole  
representative and record of an entire  
genus of creatures that had been once   
called into existence to fulfil some    
wise purpose of the ,creator long since 
accomplished1--,i bethought me of       
,rogers's noble lines on the ,torso1--  
,and dost thou still1 thou mass of      
breathing stone1  7,thy giant limbs to  
night and chaos hurled7  ,still sit as  
on the fragment of a world1  ,surviving 
all8  ,here1 however1 was a still more  
wonderful ,torso than that of the       
dismembered ,hercules1 which so awakened
 the enthusiasm of the poet4 ,strange   
peculiarities of being1--singular       
habits1 curious instincts1 the history  
of a race from the period when the      
all-producing ,word had spoken the first
 individuals into being1 until1 in      
circumstances unfitted for their longer 
existence1 or in some great annihilating
 catastrophe1 the last individuals      
perished1--were all associated with this
 piece of sculptured stone2 but1 like   

some ancient inscription of the desert1 
written in an unknown character and dead
 tongue1 its dark meanings were fast    
locked up1 and no inhabitant of earth   
possessed the key4 ,does that key       
anywhere exist1 save in the keeping of  
,him who knows all and produced all1 and
 to whom there is neither past nor      
future8 ,or is there a record of        
creation kept by those higher           
intelligences1--the first-born of       
spiritual natures1--whose existence     
stretches far into the eternity that has
 gone by1 and who possess1 as their     
inheritance1 the whole of the eternity  
to come8 ,we may be at least assured1   
that nothing can be too low for angels  
to remember1 that was not too low for   
,god to create4  ,i took coach for      
,edinburgh on the following morning2 for
 with my visit to ,scat-,craig          
terminated the explorations of my       
,summer ,ramble4 ,during the summer of  
the present year ,i have found time to  
follow up some of the discoveries of the

 last4 ,in the course of a hasty visit  
to the island of ,eigg1 ,i succeeded in 
finding in situ reptile remains of the  
kind which ,i had found along the shores
 in the previous season1 in detached    
water-rolled masses4 ,the deposit in    
which they occur lies deep in the       
,oolite4 ,in some parts of the island   
there rest over it alternations of beds 
of trap and sedimentary strata1 to the  
height of more than a thousand feet2 but
 in the line of coast which intervenes  
between the farm-house of ,keill and the
 picturesque shieling described in my   
fifth chapter1 it has been laid bare by 
the sea immediately under the cliffs1   
and we may see it jutting out at a low  
angle from among the shingle and rolled 
stones of the beach for several hundred 
feet together1 charged everywhere with  
the teeth1 plates1 and scales of ,ganoid
 fishes1 and somewhat more sparingly1   
with the ribs1 vertebrae1 and digital   
bones of saurians4 ,but a full          
description of this interesting deposit1

 as its discovery belongs to the ,summer
 ,ramble of a year1 the ramblings of    
which are not yet completed1 must await 
some future time4     ,,chapter ,,xiii4 
,,supplementary4                        
,supplementary--,isolated reptile       
,remains in ,eigg--,small ,isles        
revisited--,the ,betsey again--,storm   
bound--,tacking--,becalmed--,medusae    
caught and described--,rain--,a ,shoal  
of ,porpoises--,change of               
,weather--,the bed-ridden ,woman--,the  
,poor ,law ,act for                     
,scotland--,geological                  
,excursion--,basaltic ,columns--,oolitic
      ,beds--,abundance of ,organic     
,remains--,hybodus ,teeth--,discovery of
      reptile ,remains in situ--,musical
 ,sand of ,laig                         
re-examined--,explanation               
suggested--,sail for ,isle              
,ornsay--,anchored      ,clouds--,a     
,leak sprung--,peril of the ,betsey--,at
 work with ,pump and      ,pails--,safe 
in ,harbor--,return to ,edinburgh4   ,it

 is told of the ,spectator1 on his own  
high authority1 that having read the    
controversies of some great men         
concerning the antiquities of ,egypt1 he
 made a voyage to ,grand ,cairo1 on     
purpose to take the measure of a        
pyramid1 and that1 so soon as he had set
 himself right in that particular1 he   
returned to his native country with     
great satisfaction4 ,my love of         
knowledge has not carried me altogether 
so far1 chiefly1 ,i dare say1 because my
 voyaging opportunities have not been   
quite so great4 ,ever since my ramble of
 last year1 however1 ,i have felt1 ,i am
 afraid1 a not less interest in the     
geologic antiquities of ,small ,isles   
than that cherished by ,spectator with  
respect to the comparatively modern     
antiquities of ,egypt2 and as1 in a late
 journey to these islands the object of 
my visit involved but a single point1   
nearly as insulated as the dimensions of
 a pyramid1 ,i think ,i cannot do better
 than shelter myself under the authority

 of the short-faced gentleman who wrote 
articles in the reign of ,queen ,anne4  
,i had found in ,eigg1 in considerable  
abundance and fine keeping1 reptile     
remains of the ,oolite2 but they had    
occurred in merely rolled masses1       
scattered along the beach4 ,i had not   
discovered the bed in which they had    
been originally deposited1 and could    
neither tell its place in the system1   
nor its relation to the other rocks of  
the island4 ,the discovery was but a    
half-discovery1--the half of a broken   
medal1 with the date on the missing     
portion4 ,and so1 immediately after the 
rising of the ,general ,assembly in     
,june last #ahde1 ,i set out to revisit 
,small ,isles1 accompanied by my friend 
,mr4 ,swanson1 with the determination of
 acquainting myself with the            
burial-place of the old ,oolitic        
reptiles1 if it lay anywhere open to the
 light4  ,we found the ,betsey riding in
 the anchoring ground at ,isle ,ornsay1 
in her foul-weather dishabille1 with her

 topmast struck and in the yard1 and her
 cordage and sides exhibiting in their  
weathered aspect the influence of the   
bleaching rains and winds of the        
previous winter4 ,she was at once in an 
undress and getting old1 and1 as seen   
from the shore through rain and         
spray1--for the weather was coarse and  
boisterous1--she had apparently gained  
as little in her good looks from either 
circumstance as most other ladies do4   
,we lay storm-bound for three days at   
,isle ,ornsay1 watching from the window 
of ,mr4 ,swanson's dwelling the         
incessant showers sweeping down the     
loch4 ,on the morning of ,saturday1 the 
gale1 though still blowing right ahead1 
had moderated2 the minister was anxious 
to visit this island charge1 after his  
absence of several weeks from them at   
the ,assembly2 and ,i1 more than half   
afraid that my term of furlough might   
expire ere ,i had reached my proposed   
scene of exploration1 was as anxious as 
he2 and so we both resolved1 come what  

might1 on doggedly beating our way adown
 the ,sound of ,sleat to ,small ,isles4 
,if the wind does not fail us1 said my  
friend1 we have little more than a day's
 work before us1 and shall get into     
,eigg about midnight4 ,we had but one of
 our seamen aboard1 for ,john ,stewart  
was engaged with his potato crop at     
home2 but the minister was content1 in  
the emergency1 to rank his passenger as 
an able-bodied seaman2 and so1 hoisting 
sail and anchor1 we got under way1 and1 
clearing the loch1 struck out into the  
,sound4  ,we tacked in long reaches for 
several hours1 now opening up in        
succession the deep withdrawing lochs of
 the mainland1 now clearing promontory  
after promontory in the island district 
of ,sleat4 ,in a few hours we had left a
 bulky schooner1 that had quitted ,isle 
,ornsay at the same time1 full five     
miles behind us2 but as the sun began to
 decline1 the wind began to sink2 and   
about seven o'clock1 when we were nearly
 abreast of the rocky point of ,sleat1  

and about half-way advanced in our      
voyage1 it had died into a calm2 and for
 full twenty hours thereafter there was 
no more sailing for the ,betsey4 ,we saw
 the sun set1 and the clouds gather1 and
 the pelting rain come down1 and        
nightfall1 and morning break1 and the   
noon-tide hour pass by1 and still were  
we floating idly in the calm4 ,i        
employed the few hours of the ,saturday 
evening that intervened between the time
 of our arrest and nightfall1 in fishing
 from our little boat for medusae with a
 bucket4 ,they had risen by myriads from
 the bottom as the wind fell1 and were  
mottling the green depths of the water  
below and around far as the eye could   
reach4 ,among the commoner kinds1--the  
kind with the four purple rings on the  
area of its flat bell1 which ever       
vibrates without sound1 and the kind    
with the fringe of dingy brown1 and the 
long stinging tails1 of which ,i have   
sometimes borne from my swimming        
excursions the nettle-like smart for    

hours1--there were at least two species 
of more unusual occurrence1 both of them
 very minute4 ,the one1 scarcely larger 
than a shilling1 bore the common        
umbiliferous form1 but had its area     
inscribed by a pretty orange-colored    
wheel2 the other1 still more minute1 and
 which presented in the water the       
appearance of a small hazel-nut of a    
brownish-yellow hue1 ,i was disposed to 
set down as a species of beroe4 ,on     
getting one caught1 however1 and        
transferred to a bowl1 ,i found that the
 brownish-colored1 melon-shaped mass1   
though ribbed like the beroe1 did not   
represent the true outline of the       
animal2 it formed merely the centre of a
 transparent gelatinous bell1 which1    
though scarce visible in even the bowl1 
proved a most efficient instrument of   
motion4 ,such were its contractile      
powers1 that its sides nearly closed at 
every stroke1 behind the opaque         
orbicular centre1 like the legs of a    
vigorous swimmer2 and the animal1 unlike

 its more bulky congeners1--that1       
despite their slow but persevering      
flappings1 seemed greatly at the mercy  
of the tide1 and progressed all one     
way1--shot1 as it willed1 backwards1    
forwards1 or athwart4 ,as the evening   
closed1 and the depths beneath presented
 a dingier and yet dingier green1 until 
at length all had become black1 the     
distinctive colors of the acelpha1--the 
purple1 the orange1 and the             
brown1--faded and disappeared1 and the  
creatures hung out1 instead1 their pale 
phosphoric lights1 like the lanterns of 
a fleet hoisted high to prevent         
collision in the darkness4 ,now they    
gleamed dim and indistinct as they      
drifted undisturbed through the upper   
depths1 and now they flamed out bright  
and green1 like beaten torches1 as the  
tide dashed them against the vessel's   
sides4 ,i bethought me of the gorgeous  
description of ,coleridge1 and felt all 
its beauty3--   ,they moved in tracks of
 shining white1  ,and when they reared1 

the elfish light    ,fell off in hoary  
flakes4  ,within the shadow of the ship 
,i watched their rich attire1--  ,blue1 
glassy green1 and velvet black3  ,they  
curled1 and swam1 and every track       
,was a flash of golden fire4  ,a crew of
 three1 when there are watches to set1  
divides wofully ill4 ,as there was1     
however1 nothing to do in the calm1 we  
decided that our first watch should     
consist of our single seaman1 and the   
second of the minister and his friend4  
,the clouds1 which had been thickening  
for hours1 now broke in torrents of     
rain1 and old ,alister got into his     
water-proof oil-skin and souwester1 and 
we into our beds4 ,the seams of the     
,betsey's deck had opened so sadly      
during the past winter1 as to be no     
longer water-tight1 and the little cabin
 resounded drearily in the darkness1    
like some dropping cave1 to the         
ceaseless patter of the leakage4 ,we    
continued to sleep1 however1 somewhat   
longer than we ought1--for ,alister had 

been unwilling to waken the minister2   
but we at length got up1 and1 relieving 
watch the first from the tedium of being
 rained upon and doing nothing1 watch   
the second was set to do nothing and be 
rained upon in turn4 ,we had drifted    
during the night-time on a kindly tide1 
considerably nearer our island1 which we
 could now see looming blue and         
indistinct through the haze some seven  
or eight miles away4 ,the rain ceased a 
little before nine1 and the clouds rose1
 revealing the surrounding lands1 island
 and main1--,rum1 with its abrupt       
mountain-peaks1--the dark ,cuchullins of
 ,skye1--and1 far to the south-east1    
where ,inverness bounds on ,argyllshire1
 some of the tallest hills in           
,scotland1--among the rest1 the         
dimly-seen ,ben-,wevis4 ,but long       
wreaths of pale gray cloud lay lazily   
under their summits1 like shrouds half  
drawn from off the features of the dead1
 to be again spread over them1 and we   
concluded that the dry weather had not  

yet come4 ,a little before noon we were 
surrounded for miles by an immense but  
thinly-spread shoal of porpoises1       
passing in pairs to the south1 to       
prosecute1 on their own behalf1 the     
herring fishing in ,lochfine or         
,gareloch2 and for a full hour the whole
 sea1 otherwise so silent1 became vocal 
with long-breathed blowings1 as if all  
the steam-tenders of all the railways in
 ,britain were careering around us2 and 
we could see slender jets of spray      
rising in the air on every side1 and    
glossy black backs and pointed fins1    
that looked as if they had been         
fashioned out of ,kilkenny marble1      
wheeling heavily along the surface4 ,the
 clouds again began to close as the     
shoal passed1 but we could now hear in  
the stillness the measured sound of     
oars1 drawn vigorously against the      
gunwale in the direction of the island  
of ,eigg1 still about five miles        
distant1 though the boat from which they
 rose had not yet come in sight4 ,some  

of my poor people1 said the minister1   
coming to tug us ashore6 ,we were       
boarded in rather more than half an hour
 after1--for the sounds in the dead calm
 had preceded the boat by miles1--by    
four active young men1 who seemed       
wonderfully glad to see their pastor2   
and then1 amid the thickening showers1  
which had recommenced heavy as during   
the night1 they set themselves to tow us
 into the harbor4 ,the poor fellows had 
a long and fatiguing pull1 and were     
thoroughly drenched ere1 about six      
o'clock in the evening1 we had got up to
 our anchoring ground1 and moored1 as   
usual1 in the open tideway between      
,eilan ,chasteil and the main island4   
,there was still time enough for an     
evening discourse1 and the minister1    
getting out of his damp clothes1 went   
ashore and preached4  ,the evening of   
,sunday closed in fog and rain1 and in  
fog and rain the morning of ,monday     
arose4 ,the ceaseless patter made dull  
music on deck and skylight above1 and   

the slower drip1 drip1 through the leaky
 beams1 drearily beat time within4 ,the 
roof of my bed was luckily water-tight2 
and ,i could look out from my snuggery  
of blankets on the desolations of the   
leakage1 like ,bacon's philosopher      
surveying a tempest from the shore4 ,but
 the minister was somewhat less         
fortunate1 and had no little trouble in 
diverting an ill-conditioned drop that  
had made a dead set at his pillow4 ,i   
was now a full week from ,edinburgh1 and
 had seen and done nothing2 and1 were   
another week to pass after the same     
manner1--as1 for aught that appeared1   
might well happen1--,i might just go    
home again1 as ,i had come1 with my     
labor for my pains4 ,in the course of   
the afternoon1 however1 the weather     
unexpectedly cleared up1 and we set out 
somewhat impatiently through the wet    
grass1 to visit a cave a few hundred    
yards to the west of ,naomh ,fraingh1 in
 which it had been said the ,protestants
 of the island might meet for the       

purposes of religious worship1 were they
 to be ejected from the cottage erected 
by ,mr4 ,swanson1 in which they had     
worshipped hitherto4 ,we reexamined1 in 
the passing1 the pitch stone dike       
mentioned in a former chapter1 and the  
charnel cave of ,frances2 but ,i found  
nothing to add to my former             
descriptions1 and little to modify1 save
 that perhaps the cave appeared less    
dark1 in at least the outer half of its 
area1 than it had seemed to me in the   
former year1 when examined by           
torch-light1 and that the straggling    
twilight1 as it fell on the ropy sides1 
green with moss and mould1 and on the   
damp bone-strewn floor1 overmantled with
 a still darker crust1 like that of a   
stagnant pool1 seemed also to wear its  
tint of melancholy greenness1 as if     
transmitted through a depth of          
sea-water4 ,the cavern we had come to   
examine we found to be a noble arched   
opening in a dingy-colored precipice of 
augitic trap1--a cave roomy and lofty as

 the nave of a cathedral1 and ever      
resounding to the dash of the sea2 but  
though it could have amply accommodated 
a congregation of at least five hundred1
 we found the way far too long and      
difficult for at least the weak and the 
elderly1 and in some places inaccessible
 at full flood2 and so we at once       
decided against the accommodation which 
it offered4 ,but its shelter will1 ,i   
trust1 scarce be needed4  ,on our return
 to the ,betsey1 we passed through a    
straggling group of cottages on the     
hill-side1 one of which1 the most       
dilapidated and smallest of the number1 
the minister entered1 to visit a poor   
old woman1 who had been bed-ridden for  
ten years4 ,scarce ever before had ,i   
seen so miserable a hovel4 ,it was      
hardly larger than the cabin of the     
,betsey1 and a thousand times less      
comfortable4 ,the walls and roof1 formed
 of damp grass-grown turf1 with a few   
layers of unconnected stone in the      
basement tiers1 seemed to constitute one

 continuous hillock1 sloping upwards    
from foundation to ridge1 like one of   
the lesser moraines of ,agassiz1 save   
where the fabric here and there bellied 
outwards or inwards1 in perilous        
dilapidation1 that seemed but awaiting  
the first breeze4 ,the low chinky door  
opened direct into the one wretched     
apartment of the hovel1 which we found  
lighted chiefly by holes in the roof4   
,the back of the sick woman's bed was so
 placed at the edge of the opening1 that
 it had formed at one time a sort of    
partition to the portion of the         
apartment1 some five or six feet square1
 which contained the fire-place2 but the
 boarding that had rendered it such had 
long since fallen away1 and it now      
presented merely a naked rickety frame  
to the current of cold air from without4
 ,within a foot of the bed-ridden       
woman's head there was a hole in the    
turf-wall1 which was1 we saw1 usually   
stuffed with a bundle of rags1 but which
 lay open as we entered1 and which      

furnished a downward peep of sea and    
shore1 and the rocky ,eilan ,chasteil1  
with the minister's yacht riding in the 
channel hard by4 ,the little hole in the
 wall had formed the poor creature's    
only communication with the face of the 
external world for ten weary years4 ,she
 lay under a dingy coverlet1 which1     
whatever its original hue1 had come to  
differ nothing in color from the        
graveyard earth1 which must so soon     
better supply its place4 ,what perhaps  
first struck the eye was the strange    
flatness of the bed-clothes1 considering
 that a human body lay below3 there     
seemed scarce bulk enough under them for
 a human skeleton4 ,the light of the    
opening fell on the corpse-like features
 of the woman1--sallow1 sharp1 bearing  
at once the stamp of disease and of     
famine2 and yet it was evident1         
notwithstanding1 that they had once been
 agreeable1--not unlike those of her    
daughter1 a good-looking girl of        
eighteen1 who1 when we entered1 was     

sitting beside the fire4 ,neither mother
 nor daughter had any ,english2 but it  
was not difficult to determine1 from the
 welcome with which the minister was    
greeted from the sick-bed1 feeble as the
 tones were1 that he was no unfrequent  
visitor4 ,he prayed beside the poor     
creature1 and1 on coming away1 slipped  
something into her hand4 ,i learned that
 not during the ten years in which she  
had been bed-ridden had she received a  
single farthing from the proprietor1    
nor1 indeed1 had any of the poor of the 
island1 and that the parish had no      
session-funds4 ,i saw her husband a few 
days after1--an old worn-out man1 with  
famine written legibly in his hollow    
cheek and eye1 and on the shrivelled    
frame1 that seemed lost in his tattered 
dress2 and he reiterated the same sad   
story4 ,they had no means of living1 he 
said1 save through the charity of their 
poor neighbors1 who had so little to    
spare2 for the parish or the proprietor 
had never given them anything4 ,he had  

once1 he added1 two fine boys1 both     
sailors1 who had helped them2 but the   
one had perished in a storm off the     
,mull of ,cantyre1 and the other had    
died of fever when on a ,west ,india    
voyage2 and though their poor girl was  
very dutiful1 and staid in their crazy  
hut to take care of them in their       
helpless old age1 what other could she  
do in a place like ,eigg than just share
 with them their sufferings8 ,it has    
been recently decided by the ,british   
,parliament1 that in cases of this kind 
the starving poor shall not be permitted
 to enter the law courts of the country1
 there to sue for a pittance to support 
life1 until an intermediate             
newly-erected court1 alien to the       
,constitution1 before which they must   
plead at their own expense1 shall have  
first given them permission to prosecute
 their claims4 ,and ,i doubt not that   
many of the ,english gentlemen whose    
votes swelled the majority1 and made it 
such1 are really humane men1 friendly to

 an equal-handed justice1 and who hold  
it to be the peculiar glory of the      
,constitution1 as well shown by ,de     
,lolme1 that it has not one statute-book
 for the poor1 and another for the rich1
 but the same law and the same          
administration of law for all4 ,they    
surely could not have seen that the     
principle of their ,poor ,law ,act for  
,scotland sets the pauper beyond the    
pale of the ,constitution in the first  
instance1 that he may be starved in the 
second4 ,the suffering paupers of this  
miserable island cottage would have all 
their wants fully satisfied in the      
grave1 long ere they could establish at 
their own expense1 at ,edinburgh1 their 
claim to enter a court of law4 ,i know  
not a fitter case for the interposition 
of our lately formed ,scottish          
,association for the ,protection of the 
,poor than that of this miserable       
family2 and it is but one of many which 
the island of ,eigg will be found to    
furnish4  ,after a week's weary waiting1

 settled weather came at last2 and the  
morning of ,tuesday rose bright and     
fair4 ,my friend1 whose absence at the  
,general ,assembly had accumulated a    
considerable amount of ministerial labor
 on his hands1 had to employ the day    
professionally2 and as ,john ,stewart   
was still engaged with his potato crop1 
,i was necessitated to sally out on my  
first geological excursion alone4 ,in   
passing vessel-wards1 on the previous   
year1 from the ,ru ,stoir to the        
farm-house of ,keill1 along the         
escarpment under the cliffs1 ,i had     
examined the shores somewhat too        
cursorily during the one-half of my     
journey1 and the closing evening had    
prevented me from exploring them during 
the other half at all2 and ,i now set   
myself leisurely to retrace the way     
backwards from the farm-house to the    
,stoir4 ,i descended to the bottom of   
the cliffs1 along the pathway which runs
 between ,keill and the solitary midway 
shieling formerly described1 and found  

that the basaltic columns over head1    
which had seemed so picturesque in the  
twilight1 lost none of their beauty when
 viewed by day4 ,they occur in forms the
 most beautiful and fantastic2 here     
grouped beside some blind opening in the
 precipice1 like pillars cut round the  
opening of a tomb1 on some rock-front in
 ,petraea2 there running in long        
colonnades1 or rising into tall         
porticoes2 yonder radiating in straight 
lines from some common centre1          
resembling huge pieces of fan-work1 or  
bending out in bold curves over some    
shaded chasm1 like rows of crooked oaks 
projecting from the steep sides of some 
dark ravine4 ,the various beds of which 
the cliffs are composed1 as courses of  
ashlar compose a wall1 are of very      
different degrees of solidity3 some are 
of hard porphyritic or basaltic trap2   
some of soft ,oolitic sandstone or      
shale4 ,where the columns rest on a soft
 stratum1 their foundations have in many
 places given way1 and whole porticoes  

and colonnades hang perilously forward  
in tottering ruin1 separated from the   
living rock behind by deep chasms4 ,i   
saw one of these chasms1 some five or   
six feet in width1 and many yards in    
length1 that descended to a depth which 
the eye could not penetrate2 and another
 partially filled up with earth and     
stones1 through which1 along a dark     
opening not much larger than a          
chimney-vent1 the boys of the island    
find a long descending passage to the   
foot of the precipice1 and emerge into  
light on the edge of the grassy talus   
half-way down the hill4 ,it reminded me 
of the tunnel in the rock through which 
,imlac opened up a way of escape to     
,rasselas from the happy valley1--the   
subterranean passage1 begun where the   
summit hung over the middle part1 and   
that issued out behind the prominence4  
,from the commencement of the range of  
cliffs1 on half-way to the shieling1 ,i 
found the shore so thickly covered up by
 masses of trap1 the debris of the      

precipices above1 that ,i could scarce  
determine the nature of the bottom on   
which they rested4 ,i now1 however1     
reached a part of the beach where the   
,oolitic beds are laid bare in thin     
party-colored strata1 and at once found 
something to engage me4 ,organisms in   
vast abundance1 chiefly shells and      
fragmentary portions of fishes1 lie     
closely packed in their folds4 ,one     
limestone bed1 occurring in a dark      
shale1 seems almost entirely composed of
 a species of small oyster2 and some two
 or three other thin beds1 of what      
appears to be either a species of small 
,mytilus or ,avicula1 mixed up with a   
few shells resembling large ,paludina1  
and a few more of the gaper family1 so  
closely resembling existing species1    
that ,john ,stewart and ,alister at once
 challenged them as smurslin1 the       
,hebridean name for a well-known shell  
in these parts1--the ,mya truncata4 ,the
 remains of fishes1--chiefly ,ganoid    
scales and the teeth of ,placoids1--lie 

scattered among the shells in amazing   
abundance4 ,on the surface of a single  
fragment1 about nine inches by five1    
which ,i detached from one of the beds1 
and which now lies before me1 ,i reckon 
no fewer than twenty-five teeth1 and    
twenty-two on the area of another4 ,they
 are of very various forms1--some of    
them squat and round1 like ill-formed   
small shot1--others spiky and sharp1 not
 unlike flooring nails1--some straight  
as needles1 some bent like the beak of a
 hawk1--some1 like the palatal teeth of 
the ,acrodus of the ,lias1 resemble     
small leeches2 some1 bearing a series of
 points ranged on a common base1 like   
masts on the hull of a vessel1 the      
tallest in the centre1 belong to the    
genus ,hybodus4 ,there is a palpable    
approximation in the teeth of the       
leech-like form to the teeth with the   
numerous points4 ,some of the specimens 
show the same plicated structure common 
to both2 and on some of the leech backs1
 if ,i may so speak1 there are          

protuberant knobs1 that indicate the    
places of the spiky points on the       
hybodent teeth4 ,i have got three of    
each kind slit up by ,mr4 ,george       
,sanderson1 and the internal structure  
appears to be the same4 ,a dense body of
 bone is traversed by what seem         
innumerable roots1 resembling those of  
woody shrubs laid bare along the sides  
of some forest stream4 ,each internal   
opening sends off on every side its     
myriads of close-laid filaments2 and    
nowhere do they lie so thickly as in the
 line of the enamel1 forming1 from the  
regularity with which they are arranged1
 a sort of framing to the whole section4
 ,it is probable that the ,hybodus1--a  
genus of shark which became extinct some
 time about the beginning of the        
chalk1--united1 like the shark of ,port 
,jackson1 a crushing apparatus of       
palatal teeth to its lines of cutting   
ones4 ,among the other remains of these 
beds ,i found a dense fragment of bone1 
apparently reptilian1 and a curious     

dermal plate punctulated with thick-set 
depressions1 bounded on one side by a   
smooth band1 and altogether closely     
resembling some saddler's thimble that  
had been cut open and straightened4     
,following the beds downwards along the 
beach1 ,i found that one of the lowest  
which the tide permitted me to          
examine1--a bed colored with a tinge of 
red1--was formed of a denser limestone  
than any of the others1 and composed    
chiefly of vast numbers of small        
univalves resembling ,neritae4 ,it was  
in exactly such a rock ,i had found1 in 
the previous year1 the reptile remains2 
and ,i now set myself1 with no little   
eagerness1 to examine it4 ,one of the   
first pieces ,i tore up contained a     
well-preserved ,plesiosaurian vertebra2 
a second contained a vertebra and a rib2
 and1 shortly after1 ,i disinterred a   
large portion of a pelvis4 ,i had at    
length found1 beyond doubt1 the reptile 
remains in situ4 ,the bed in which they 
occur is laid bare here for several     

hundred feet along the beach1 jutting   
out at a low angle among boulders and   
gravel1 and the reptile remains we find 
embedded chiefly in its under side4 ,it 
lies low in the ,oolite4 ,all the       
stratified rocks of the island1 with the
 exception of a small ,liasic patch1    
belong to the ,lower ,oolite1 and the   
reptile-bed occurs deep in the base of  
the system1--low in its relation to the 
nether division1 in which it is         
included4 ,i found it nowhere rising to 
the level of high-water mark4 ,it forms 
one of the foundation tiers of the      
island1 which1 as the latter rises over 
the sea in some places to the height of 
about fourteen hundred feet1 its upper  
peaks and ridges must overlie the bones1
 making allowance for the dip1 to the   
depth of at least sixteen hundred4 ,even
 at the close of the ,oolitic period    
this sepulchral stratum must have been a
 profoundly ancient one4 ,in working it 
out1 ,i found two fine specimens of fish
 jaws1 still retaining their ranges of  

teeth2--ichthyodorulites1--occipital    
plates of various forms1 either reptile 
or ichthyic1--,ganoid scales1 of nearly 
the same varieties of pattern as those  
in the ,weald of ,morayshire1--and the  
vertebrae and ribs1 with the digital1   
pelvic1 and limb-bones1 of saurians4 ,it
 is not unworthy of remark1 that in none
 of the beds of this deposit did ,i find
 any of the more characteristic shells  
of the system1--,ammonites1 ,belemnites1
 ,gryphites1 or ,nautili4  ,i explored  
the shores of the island on to the ,ru  
,stoir1 and thence to the ,bay of ,laig2
 but though ,i found detached masses of 
the reptile bed occurring in abundance1 
indicating that its place lay not far   
beyond the fall of ebb1 in no other     
locality save the one described did ,i  
find it laid bare4 ,i spent some time   
beside the ,bay of ,laig in reexamining 
the musical sand1 in the hope of        
determining the peculiarities on which  
its sonorous qualities depended4 ,but ,i
 examined1 and cross-examined it in     

vain4 ,i merely succeeded in            
ascertaining1 in addition to my previous
 observations1 that the loudest sounds  
are elicited by drawing the hand slowly 
through the incoherent mass1 in a       
segment of a circle1 at the full stretch
 of the arm1 and that the vibrations    
which produce them communicate a        
peculiar titillating sensation to the   
hand or foot by which they are elicited1
 extending in the foot to the knee1 and 
in the hand to the elbow4 ,when we pass 
the wet finger along the edge of an     
ale-glass partially filled with water1  
we see the vibrations thickly wrinkling 
the surface3 the undulations which1     
communicated to the air1 produce sound1 
render themselves1 when communicated to 
the water1 visible to the eye2 and the  
titillating feeling seems but a         
modification of the same phenomenon     
acting on the nerves and fluids of the  
leg or arm4 ,it appears to be produced  
by the wrinklings of the vibrations1 if 
,i may so speak1 passing along sentient 

channels4 ,the sounds will ultimately be
 found dependent1 ,i am of opinion1     
though ,i cannot yet explain the        
principle1 on the purely quartzose      
character of the sand1 and the friction 
of the incoherent upper strata against  
under strata coherent and damp4 ,i      
remained ten days in the island1 and    
went over all my former ground1 but     
succeeded in making no further          
discoveries4  ,on the morning of        
,wednesday1 ,june #beth1 we set sail for
 ,isle ,ornsay1 with a smart breeze from
 the north-west4 ,the lower and upper   
sky was tolerably clear1 and the sun    
looked cheerily down on the deep blue of
 the sea2 but along the higher ridges of
 the land there lay long level strata of
 what the meteorologists distinguish as 
parasitic clouds4 ,when every other     
patch of vapor in the landscape was in  
motion1 scudding shorewards from the    
,atlantic before the still-increasing   
gale1 there rested along both the ,scuir
 of ,eigg and the tall opposite ridge of

 the island1 and along the steep peaks  
of ,rum1 clouds that seemed as if       
anchored1 each on its own               
mountain-summit1 and over which the gale
 failed to exert any propelling power4  
,they were stationary in the middle of  
the rushing current1 when all else was  
speeding before it4 ,it has been shown  
that these parasitic clouds are mere    
local condensations of strata of damp   
air passing along the mountain-summits1 
and rendered visible but to the extent  
in which the summits affect the         
temperature4 ,instead of being          
stationary1 they are ever-forming and   
ever-dissipating clouds1--clouds that   
form a few yards in advance of the      
condensing hill1 and that dissipate a   
few yards after they have quitted it4 ,i
 had nothing to do on deck1 for we had  
been joined at ,eigg by ,john ,stewart2 
and so1 after watching the appearance of
 the stationary clouds for some little  
time1 ,i went below1 and1 throwing      
myself into the minister's large chair1 

took up a book4 ,the gale meanwhile     
freshened1 and freshened yet more2 and  
the ,betsey leaned over till her lee    
chain-plate lay along in the water4     
,there was the usual combination of     
sounds beneath and around me1--the      
mixture of guggle1 clunk1 and           
splash1--of low1 continuous rush1 and   
bluff1 loud blow1 which forms in such   
circumstances the voyager's concert4 ,i 
soon became aware1 however1 of yet      
another species of sound1 which ,i did  
not like half so well1--a sound as of   
the washing of a shallow current over a 
rough surface2 and1 on the minister     
coming below1 ,i asked him1 tolerably   
well prepared for his answer1 what it   
might mean4 ,it means1 he said1 that we 
have sprung a leak1 and a rather bad    
one2 but we are only some six or eight  
miles from the ,point of ,sleat1 and    
must soon catch the land4 ,he returned  
on deck1 and ,i resumed my book4        
,presently1 however1 the rush became    
greatly louder2 some other weak patch in

 the ,betsey's upper works had given    
way1 and anon the water came washing up 
from the lee side along the edge of the 
cabin floor4 ,i got upon deck to see how
 matters stood with us2 and the         
minister1 easing off the vessel for a   
few points1 gave instant orders to      
shorten sail1 in the hope of getting her
 upper works out of the water1 and then 
to unship the companion ladder1 beneath 
which a hatch communicated with the low 
strip of hold under the cabin1 and to   
bring aft the pails4 ,we lowered our    
foresail2 furled up the mainsail        
half-mast high2 ,john ,stewart took his 
station at the pump2 old ,alister and   
,i1 furnished with pails1 took ours1 the
 one at the foot1 the other at the head1
 of the companion1 to hand up and throw 
over2 a young girl1 a passenger from    
,eigg to the mainland1 lent her         
assistance1 and got wofully drenched in 
the work2 while the minister1 retaining 
his station at the helm1 steered right  
on4 ,but the gale had so increased1     

that1 notwithstanding our diminished    
breadth of sail1 the ,betsey1 straining 
hard in the rough sea1 still lay in to  
the gunwale2 and the water1 pouring in  
through a hundred opening chinks in her 
upper works1 rose1 despite of our       
exertions1 high over plank1 and beam1   
and cabin-floor1 and went dashing       
against beds and lockers4 ,she was      
evidently filling1 and bade fair to     
terminate all her voyagings by a short  
trip to the bottom4 ,old ,alister1 a    
seaman of thirty years' standing1 whose 
station at the bottom of the cabin      
stairs enabled him to see how fast the  
water was gaining on the ,betsey1 but   
not how the ,betsey was gaining on the  
land1 was by no means the least anxious 
among us4 ,twenty years previous he had 
seen a vessel go down in exactly similar
 circumstances1 and in nearly the same  
place1 and the reminiscence1 in the     
circumstances1 seemed rather an         
uncomfortable one4 ,it had been a bad   
evening1 he said1 and the vessel he     

sailed in1 and a sloop1 her companion1  
were pressing hard to gain the land4    
,the sloop had sprung a leak1 and was   
straining1 as if for life and death1    
under a press of canvas4 ,he saw her    
outsail the vessel to which he belonged1
 but1 when a few shots a-head she gave a
 sudden lurch1 and disappeared from the 
surface instantaneously as a vanishing  
spectre1 and neither sloop nor crew were
 ever more heard of4  ,there are1 ,i am 
convinced1 few deaths less painful than 
some of those untimely and violent ones 
at which we are most disposed to        
shudder4 ,we wrought so hard at pail and
 pump1--the occasion1 too1 was one of so
 much excitement1 and tended so         
thoroughly to awaken our energies1--that
 ,i was conscious1 during the whole     
time1 of an exhilaration of spirits     
rather pleasurable than otherwise4 ,my  
fancy was active1 and active1 strange as
 the fact may seem1 chiefly with        
ludicrous objects4 ,sailors tell        
regarding the flying ,dutchman1 that he 

was a hard-headed captain of ,amsterdam1
 who1 in a bad night and head wind1 when
 all the other vessels of his fleet were
 falling back on the port they had      
recently quitted1 obstinately swore     
that1 rather than follow their example1 
he would keep beating about till the day
 of judgment4 ,and the ,dutch captain1  
says the story1 was just taken at his   
word1 and is beating about still4 ,when 
matters were at the worst with us1 we   
got under the lea of the point of       
,sleat4 ,the promontory interposed      
between us and the roll of the sea2 the 
wind gradually took off2 and1 after     
having seen the water gaining fast and  
steadily on us for considerably more    
than an hour1 we1 in turn1 began to gain
 on the water4 ,it came ebbing out of   
drawers and beds1 and sunk downwards    
along pannels and table-legs1--a second 
retiring deluge2 and we entered ,isle   
,ornsay with the cabin-floor all        
visible1 and less than two feet water in
 the hold4 ,on the following morning1   

taking leave of my friend the minister1 
,i set off1 on my return homewards1 by  
the ,skye steamer1 and reached          
,edinburgh on the evening of ,saturday4 
,,rambles ,,of ,a ,,geologist2   ,,or1  
,,ten ,,thousand ,,miles ,,over ,,the   
,,fossiliferous  ,,deposits ,,of        
,,scotland4     ,,rambles ,,of ,a       
,,geologist2  ,,or1  ,,ten ,,thousand   
,,miles ,,over ,,the ,,fossiliferous    
,,deposits ,,of ,,scotland4#aj          
,,chapter ,i4       ,embarkation--,a    
foundered ,vessel--,lateness of the     
,harvest dependent      on the          
,geological character of the ,soil--,a  
,granite ,harvest and an      ,old ,red 
,harvest--,cottages of ,redstone and of 
,granite--,arable ,soil      of         
,scotland the result of a ,geological   
,grinding ,agency--,locality of      the
 ,famine of #ahdf--,mr4 ,longmuir's     
,fossils--,geology necessary to a       
,theologian--,popularizers of ,science  
when dangerous--,constitution      of   
,man1 and ,vestiges of ,creation--,atop 

of the ,banff ,coach--,a                
,geologist's ,field ,equipment--,the    
trespassing ,stirk--,silurian           
,schists inlaid with ,old ,red--,bay of 
,gamrie how                             
formed--,gardenstone--,geological       
,free-masonry illustrated--,how to      
break an ,ichthyolite ,nodule--,an old  
,rhyme mended--,a raised                
,beach--,fossil ,shells--,scotland under
 water at the time of the      ,boulder 
,clays4   ,from circumstances that in no
 way call for explanation1 my usual     
exploratory ramble was thrown this year 
7#ahdg7 from the middle of ,july into   
the middle of ,september2 and ,i        
embarked at ,granton for the north just 
as the night began to count hour against
 hour with the day4 ,the weather was    
fine1 and the voyage pleasant4 ,i saw by
 the way1 however1 at least one         
melancholy memorial of a hurricane which
 had swept the eastern coasts of the    
island about a fortnight before1 and    
filled the provincial newspapers with   

paragraphs of disaster4 ,nearly opposite
 where the ,red ,head lifts its mural   
front of ,old ,red ,sandstone a hundred 
yards over the beach1 the steamer passed
 a foundered vessel1 lying about a mile 
and a half off the land1 with but her   
topmast and the point of her peak over  
the surface4 ,her vane1 still at the    
mast-head1 was drooping in the calm2 and
 its shadow1 with that of the           
fresh-colored spar to which it was      
attached1 white atop and yellow beneath1
 formed a well-defined undulatory strip 
on the water1 that seemed as if ever in 
the process of being rolled up1 and yet 
still retained its length unshortened4  
,every recession of the swell showed a  
patch of mainsail attached to the peak3 
the sail had been hoisted to its full   
stretch when the vessel went down4 ,and 
thus1 though no one survived to tell the
 story of her disaster1 enough remained 
to show that she had sprung a leak when 
straining in the gale1 and that1 when   
staggering under a press of canvas      

towards the still distant shore1 where1 
by stranding her1 the crew had hoped to 
save at least their lives1 she had      
disappeared with a sudden lurch1 and all
 aboard had perished4 ,i remembered     
having read1 among other memorabilia of 
the hurricane1 without greatly thinking 
of the matter1 that a large sloop had   
foundered off the ,red ,head1--name     
unknown4 ,but the minute portion of the 
wreck which ,i saw rising over the      
surface1 to certify1 like some frail    
memorial in a churchyard1 that the dead 
lay beneath1 had an eloquence in it     
which the words wanted1 and at once sent
 the imagination back to deal with the  
stern realities of the disaster1 and the
 feelings abroad to expatiate over      
saddened hearths and melancholy         
homesteads1 where for many a long day   
the hapless perished would be missed and
 mourned1 but where the true story of   
their fate1 though too surely guessed   
at1 would never be known4  ,the harvest 
had been early2 and on to the village of

 ,stonehaven1 and a mile or two beyond1 
where the fossiliferous deposits end and
 the primary begin1 the country         
presented from the deck only a wide     
expanse of stubble4 ,every farm-steading
 we passed had its piled stack-yard2 and
 the fields were bare4 ,but the line of 
demarcation between the ,old ,red       
,sandstone and the granitic districts   
formed also a separating line between an
 earlier and later harvest2 the fields  
of the less kindly subsoil derived from 
the primary rocks were1 ,i could see1   
still speckled with sheaves2 and1 where 
the land lay high1 or the exposure was  
unfavorable1 there were reapers at work4
 ,all along in the course of my journey 
northward from ,aberdeen ,i continued to
 find the country covered with shocks1  
and laborers employed among them2 until1
 crossing the ,spey1 ,i entered on the  
fossiliferous districts of ,moray2 and  
then1 as in the south1 the champaign    
again showed a bare breadth of stubble1 
with here and there a ploughman engaged 

in turning it down4 ,the traveller bids 
farewell at ,stonehaven to not only the 
,old ,red ,sandstone and the            
early-harvest districts1 but also to the
 rich wheat-lands of the country1 and   
does not again fairly enter upon them   
until1 after travelling nearly a hundred
 miles1 he passes from ,banffshire into 
the province of ,moray4 ,he leaves      
behind him at the same line the         
wheat-fields and the cottages built of  
red stone1 to find only barley and oats1
 and here and there a plot of rye1      
associated with cottages of granite and 
gneiss1 hyperstene and mica schist2 but 
on crossing the ,spey1 the red cottages 
reappear1 and fields of rich wheat-land 
spread out around them1 as in the south4
 ,the circumstance is not unworthy the  
notice of the geologist4 ,it is but a   
tedious process through which the minute
 lichen1 settling on a surface of naked 
stone1 forms in the course of ages a    
soil for plants of greater bulk and a   
higher order2 and had ,scotland been    

left to the exclusive operation of this 
slow agent1 it would be still a rocky   
desert1 with perhaps here and there a   
strip of alluvial meadow by the side of 
a stream1 and here and there an         
insulated patch of rich soil among the  
hollows of the crags4 ,it might possess 
a few gardens for the spade1 but no     
fields for the plough4 ,we owe our      
arable land to that comparatively modern
 geologic agent1 whatever its character1
 that crushed1 as in a mill1 the upper  
parts of the surface-rocks of the       
kingdom1 and then overlaid them with    
their own debris and rubbish to the     
depth of from one to forty yards4 ,this 
debris1 existing in one locality as a   
boulder-clay more or less finely        
comminuted1 in another as a grossly     
pounded gravel1 forms1 with few         
exceptions1 that subsoil of the country 
on which the existing vegetation first  
found root2 and1 being composed mainly  
of the formations on which it more      
immediately rests1 it partakes of their 

character1--bearing a comparatively lean
 and hungry aspect over the primary     
rocks1 and a greatly more fertile one   
over those deposits in which the organic
 matters of earlier creations lie       
diffused4 ,saxon industry has done much 
for the primary districts of ,aberdeen  
and ,banffshires1 though it has failed  
to neutralize altogether the effects of 
causes which date as early as the times 
of the ,old ,red ,sandstone2 but in the 
,highlands1 which belong almost         
exclusively to the non-fossiliferous    
formations1 and which were1 on at least 
the western coasts1 but imperfectly     
subjected to that grinding process to   
which we owe our subsoils1 the poor     
,celt has permitted the consequences of 
the original difference to exhibit      
themselves in full4 ,if we except the   
islands of the ,inner ,hebrides1 the    
famine of #ahdf was restricted in       
,scotland to the primary districts4  ,i 
made it my first business1 on landing in
 ,aberdeen1 to wait on my friend ,mr4   

,longmuir1 that ,i might compare with   
him a few geological notes1 and benefit 
by his knowledge of the surrounding     
country4 ,i was1 however1 unlucky enough
 to find that he had gone1 a few days   
before1 on a journey1 from which he had 
not yet returned2 but1 through the      
kindness of ,mrs4 ,longmuir1 to whom ,i 
took the liberty of introducing myself1 
,i was made free of his stone-room1 and 
held half an hour's conversation with   
his ,scotch fossils of the ,chalk4      
,these had been found1 as the readers of
 the ,witness must remember from his    
interesting paper on the subject1 on the
 hill of ,dudwick1 in the neighborhood  
of ,ellon1 and were chiefly             
impressions--some of them of singular   
distinctness and beauty--in yellow      
flint4 ,i saw among them several        
specimens of the ,inoceramus1 a         
thin-shelled1 ponderously-hinged        
conchifer1 characteristic of the        
,cretaceous group1 but which has no     
living representative2 with numerous    

flints1 traversed by rough-edged1       
bifurcated hollows1 in which branched   
sponges had once lain2 a well-preserved 
,pecten2 the impressions of spines of   
,echini of at least two distinct        
species2 and the nicely-marked          
impression of part of a ,cidaris1 with  
the balls on which the sockets of the   
club-like spines had been fitted        
existing in the print as spherical      
moulds1 in which shot might be cast1 and
 with the central ligamentary           
depression1 which in the actual fossil  
exists but as a minute cavity1          
projecting into the centre of each      
hollow sphere1 like the wooden fusee    
into the centre of a bomb-shell4 ,this  
latter cast1 fine and sharp as that of a
 medal taken in sulphur1 seems          
sufficient of itself to establish two   
distinct points3 in the first place1    
that the siliceous matter of which the  
flint is composed1 though now so hard   
and rigid1 must1 in its original        
condition1 have been as impressible as  

wax softened to receive the stamp of the
 seal2 and1 in the next1 that though it 
was thus yielding in its character1 it  
could not have greatly shrunk in the    
process of hardening4 ,i looked with no 
little interest on these remains of a   
,scotch formation now so entirely broken
 up1 that1 like those ruined cities of  
the ,east which exist but as mere lines 
of wrought material barring the face of 
the desert1 there has not been left one 
stone of it upon another1 but of which  
the fragments1 though widely scattered1 
bear imprinted upon them1 like the      
stamped bricks of ,babylon1 the story of
 its original condition1 and a record of
 its founders4 ,all ,mr4 ,longmuir's    
,cretaceous fossils from the hill of    
,dudwick are of flint1--a substance not 
easily ground down by the denuding      
agencies4  ,i found several other       
curious fossils in ,mr4 ,longmuir's     
collection4 ,greatly more interesting1  
however1 than any of the specimens which
 it contains1 is the general fact1 that 

it should be the collection of a ,free  
,church minister1 sedulously attentive  
to the proper duties of his office1 but 
who has yet found time enough to render 
himself an accomplished geologist2 and  
whose week-day lectures on the science  
attract crowds1 who receive from them1  
in many instances1 their first knowledge
 of the strange revolutions of which our
 globe has been the subject1 blent with 
the teachings of a wholesome theology4  
,the present age1 above all that has    
gone before1 is peculiarly the age of   
physical science2 and of all the        
physical sciences1 not excepting        
astronomy itself1 geology1 though it be 
a fact worthy of notice1 that not one of
 our truly accomplished geologists is an
 infidel1 is the science of which       
infidelity has most largely availed     
itself4 ,and as the theologian in a     
metaphysical age1--when skepticism1     
conforming to the character of the time1
 disseminated its doctrines in the form 
of nicely abstract speculations1--had1  

in order that the enemy might be met in 
his own field1 to become a skilful      
metaphysician1 he must now1 in like     
manner1 address himself to the          
tangibilities of natural history and    
geology1 if he would avoid the danger   
and disgrace of having his flank turned 
by every sciolist in these walks whom he
 may chance to encounter4 ,it is those  
identical bastions and outworks that are
 now attacked1 which must be now        
defended2 not those which were attacked 
some eighty or a hundred years ago4 ,and
 as he who succeeds in first mixing up  
fresh and curious truths1 either with   
the objections by which religion is     
assailed or the arguments by which it is
 defended1 imparts to his cause all the 
interest which naturally attaches to    
these truths1 and leaves to his         
opponent1 who passes over them after him
 as at second hand1 a subject divested  
of the fire-edge of novelty1 ,i can deem
 ,mr4 ,longmuir well and not            
unprofessionally employed1 in connecting

 with a sound creed the picturesque     
marvels of one of the most popular of   
the sciences1 and by this means         
introducing them to his people1 linked1 
from the first1 with right associations4
 ,according to the old fiction1 the look
 of the basilisk did not kill unless the
 creature saw before it was seen2--its  
mere return glance was harmless2 and    
there is a class of thoroughly dangerous
 writers who in this respect resemble   
the basilisk4 ,it is perilous to give   
them a first look of the public4 ,they  
are formidable simply as the earliest   
popularizers of some interesting        
science1 or the first promulgators of   
some class of curious little-known      
facts1 with which they mix up their     
special contributions of error1--often  
the only portion of their writings that 
really belongs to themselves4 ,nor is it
 at all so easy to counteract as to     
confute them4 ,a masterly confutation of
 the part of their works truly their own
 may1 from its subject1 be a very       

unreadable book3 it can have but the    
insinuated poison to deal with1 unmixed 
with the palatable pabulum in which the 
poison has been conveyed2 and mere      
treatises on poisons1 whether moral or  
medical1 are rarely works of a very     
delectable order4 ,it seems to be on    
this principle that there exists no     
confutation of the ,constitution of ,man
 in which the ordinary reader finds     
amusement to carry him through2 whereas 
the work itself1 full of curious        
miscellaneous information1 is eminently 
readable2 and that the ,vestiges of     
,creation1--a treatise as entertaining  
as the ,arabian ,nights1--bids fair1 not
 from the amount of error which it      
contains1 but from the amount of fresh  
and interestingly told truth with which 
the error is mingled1 to live and do    
mischief when the various               
solidly-scientific replies which it has 
called forth are laid upon the shelf4   
,both the ,constitution and the         
,vestiges had the advantage1 so         

essential to the basilisk1 of taking the
 first glance of the public on their    
respective subjects2 whereas their      
confutators have been able to render    
them back but mere return glances4 ,the 
only efficiently counteractive mode of  
looking down the danger1 in cases of    
this kind1 is the mode adopted by ,mr4  
,longmuir4  ,there was a smart frost    
next morning2 and1 for a few hours1 my  
seat on the top of the ,banff coach1 by 
which ,i travelled across the country to
 where the ,gamrie and ,banff roads part
 company1 was considerably more cool    
than agreeable4 ,but the keen morning   
improved into a brilliant day1 with an  
atmosphere transparent as if there had  
been no atmosphere at all1 through which
 the distant objects looked out as sharp
 of outline1 and in as well-defined     
light and shadow1 as if they had        
occupied the background1 not of a       
,scotch1 but of an ,italian landscape4  
,a few speck-like sails1 far away on the
 intensely blue sea1 which opened upon  

us in a stretch of many leagues1 as we  
surmounted the moory ridge over         
,macduff1 gleamed to the sun with a     
radiance bright as that of the sparks of
 a furnace blown to a white heat4 ,the  
land1 uneven of surface1 and open1 and  
abutting in bold promontories on the    
frith1 still bore the sunny hue of      
harvest1 and seemed as if stippled over 
with shocks from the ridgy hill summits1
 to where ranges of giddy cliffs flung  
their shadows across the beach4 ,i      
struck off for ,gamrie by a path that   
runs eastward1 nearly parallel to the   
shore1--which at one or two points it   
overlooks from dark-colored cliffs of   
grauwacke slate1--to the fishing village
 of ,gardenstone4 ,my dress was the     
usual fatigue suit of russet1 in which  
,i find ,i can work amid the soil of    
ravines and quarries with not only the  
best effect1 but with even the least    
possible sacrifice of appearance3 the   
shabbiest of all suits is a good suit   
spoiled4 ,my hammer-shaft projected from

 my pocket2 a knapsack1 with a few      
changes of linen1 slung suspended from  
my shoulders2 a strong cotton umbrella  
occupied my better hand2 and a gray     
maud1 buckled shepherd-fashion aslant   
the chest1 completed my equipment4      
,there were few travellers on the road1 
which forked off on the hill-side a     
short mile away1 into two branches1 like
 a huge letter ,y1 leaving me uncertain 
which branch to choose2 and ,i made up  
my mind to have the point settled by a  
woman of middle age1 marked by a hard1  
manly countenance1 who was coming up    
towards me1 bound apparently for the    
,banff or ,macduff market1 and stooping 
under a load of dairy produce4 ,she too1
 apparently1 had her purpose to serve or
 point to settle2 for as we met1 she was
 the first to stand2 and1 sharply       
scanning my appearance and aspect at a  
glance1 she abruptly addressed me4      
,honest man1 she said1 do you see yon   
house wi' the chimla8 ,that house with  
the farm-steadings and stacks beside it8

 ,i replied4 ,yes4 ,then ,i'd be        
obleeged if ye wald just stap in as ye'r
 gaing east the gate1 and tell our folk 
that the stirk has gat fra her tether1  
an' 'ill brak on the wat clover4 ,tell  
them to sen' for her that minute4 ,i    
undertook the commission2 and1 passing  
the endangered stirk1 that seemed       
luxuriating1 undisturbed by any         
presentiment of impending peril1 amid   
the rich swathe of a late clover crop1  
still damp with the dews of the morning 
frost1 ,i tapped at the door of the     
farm-house1 and delivered my message to 
a young good-looking girl1 in nearly the
 words of the woman3--,the gude-wife    
bade me tell them1 ,i said1 to send that
 instant for the stirk1 for she had gat 
fra her tether1 and would brak on the   
wat clover4 ,the girl blushed just a    
very little1 and thanked me2 and then1  
after obliging me1 in turn1 by laying   
down for me my proper route1--for ,i had
 left the question of the forked road to
 be determined at the farm-house1--she  

set off at high speed1 to rescue the    
unconscious stirk4 ,a walk of rather    
less than two hours brought me abreast  
of the ,bay of ,gamrie1--a picturesque  
indentation of the coast1 in the        
formation of which the agency of the old
 denuding forces1 operating on deposits 
of unequal solidity1 may be distinctly  
traced4 ,the surrounding country is     
composed chiefly of ,silurian schists1  
in which there is deeply inlaid a       
detached strip of mouldering ,old ,red  
,sandstone1 considerably more than      
twenty miles in length1 and that varies 
from two to three miles in breadth4 ,it 
seems to have been let down into the    
more ancient formation1--like the       
keystone of a bridge into the ringstones
 of the arch when the work is in the act
 of being completed1--during some of    
those terrible convulsions which cracked
 and rent the earth's crust1 as if it   
had been an earthen pipkin brought to a 
red heat and then plunged into cold     
water4 ,its consequent occurrence in a  

lower tier of the geological edifice    
than that to which it originally        
belonged has saved it from the great    
denudation which has swept from the     
surface of the surrounding country the  
tier composed of its contemporary beds  
and strata1 and laid bare the grauwacke 
on which this upper tier rested4 ,but   
where it presents its narrow end to the 
sea1 as the older houses in our more    
ancient ,scottish villages present their
 gables to the street1 the waves of the 
,german ,ocean1 by incessantly charging 
against it1 propelled by the tempests of
 the stormy north1 have hollowed it into
 the ,bay of ,gamrie1 and left the more 
solid grauwacke standing out in bold    
promontories on either side1 as the     
headlands of ,gamrie and ,troup4  ,in   
passing downwards on the fishing village
 of ,gardenstone1 mainly in the hope of 
procuring a guide to the ichthyolite    
beds1 ,i saw a laborer at work with a   
pickaxe1 in a little craggy ravine1     
about a hundred yards to the left of the

 path1 and two gentlemen standing beside
 him4 ,i paused for a moment1 to        
ascertain whether the latter were not   
brother-workers in the geologic field4  
,hilloa6--here1--shouted out the stouter
 of the two gentlemen1 as if1 by some   
clairvoyant faculty1 he had dived into  
my secret thought2 come here4 ,i went   
down into the ravine1 and found the     
laborer engaged in disinterring         
ichthyolitic nodules out of a bed of    
gray stratified clay1 identical in its  
composition with that of the ,cromarty  
fish-beds2 and a heap of freshly-broken 
nodules1 speckled with the organic      
remains of the ,lower ,old ,red         
,sandstone1--chiefly occipital plates   
and scales1--lay beside him4 ,know you  
aught of these8 said the stouter        
gentleman1 pointing to the heap4 ,a     
little1 ,i replied2 but your specimens  
are none of the finest4 ,here1 however1 
is a dorsal plate of ,coccosteus2 and   
here a scattered group of scales of     
,osteolepis2 and here the occipital     

plates of ,cheirolepis ,cummingiae2 and 
here the spine of the anterior dorsal of
 ,diplacanthus striatus4 ,my reading of 
the fossils was at once recognized1 like
 the mystic sign of the freemason1 as   
establishing for me a place among the   
geologic brotherhood2 and the stout     
gentleman producing a spirit-flask and a
 glass1 ,i pledged him and his companion
 in a bumper4 ,was ,i not sure8 he said1
 addressing his friend3 ,i knew by the  
cut of his jib1 notwithstanding his     
shepherd's plaid1 that he was a wanderer
 of the scientific cast4 ,we discussed  
the peculiarities of the deposit1 which1
 in its mineralogical character1 and    
generically in that of its organic      
contents1 resembles1 ,i found1 the      
fish-beds of ,cromarty 7though1         
curiously enough1 the intervening       
contemporary deposits of ,moray and the 
western parts of ,banffshire differ     
widely1 in at least their chemistry1    
from both72 and we were right good      
friends ere we parted4 ,to men who      

travel for amusement1 incident is       
incident1 however trivial in itself1 and
 always worth something4 ,i showed the  
younger of the two geologists my mode of
 breaking open an ichthyolitic nodule1  
so as to secure the best possible       
section of the fish4 ,ah1 he said1 as he
 marked a style of handling the hammer  
which1 save for the fifteen years'      
previous practice of the operative      
mason1 would be perhaps less            
complete1--,ah1 you must have broken    
open a great many4 ,his own knowledge of
 the formation and its ichthyolites had 
been chiefly derived1 he added1 from a  
certain little treatise on the ,old ,red
 ,sandstone1 rather popular than        
scientific1 which he named4 ,i of course
 claimed no acquaintance with the work2 
and the conversation went on4  ,the ill 
luck of my new friends1 who had been    
toiling among the nodules for hours     
without finding an ichthyolite worth    
transferring to their bag1 showed me    
that1 without excavating more deeply    

than my time allowed1 ,i had no chance  
of finding good specimens4 ,but1 well   
content to have ascertained that the    
ichthyolite bed of ,gamrie is identical 
in its composition1 and1 generically at 
least1 in its organisms1 with the beds  
with which ,i was best acquainted1 ,i   
rose to come away4 ,the object which ,i 
next proposed to myself was1 to         
determine whether1 as at ,eathie and    
,cromarty1 the fossils here appear not  
only on the hill-side1 but also crop out
 along the shore4 ,on taking leave1     
however1 of the geologists1 ,i was      
reminded by the younger of what ,i might
 have otherwise forgotten1--a raised    
beach in the immediate neighborhood     
7first described by ,mr4 ,prestwich1 in 
his paper on the ,gamrie ichthyolites71 
which contains shells of the existing   
species at a higher level than          
elsewhere1--so far as is yet known1--on 
the east coast of ,scotland4 ,and1      
kindly conducting me till he had brought
 me full within view of it1 we parted4  

,the ichthyolites which ,i had just been
 laying open occur on the verge of that 
,strathbogie district in which the      
,church controversy raged so hot and    
high2 and by a common enough trick of   
the associative faculty1 they now       
recalled to my mind a stanza which      
memory had somehow caught when the      
battle was at the fiercest4 ,it formed  
part of a satiric address1 published in 
an ,aberdeen newspaper1 to the not very 
respectable non-intrusionists who had   
smoked tobacco and drank whisky in the  
parish church at ,culsalmond1 on the day
 of a certain forced settlement there1  
specially recorded by the clerks of the 
,justiciary ,court4   ,tobacco and      
whisky cost siller1    ,and meal is but 
scanty at hame2  ,but gang to the       
stane-mason ,m----r1    ,wi' ,old ,red  
,sandstone fish he'll fill your wame4   
,rather a dislocated line that last1 ,i 
thought1 and too much in the style in   
which ,zachary ,boyd sings ,pharaoh and 
the ,pascal4 ,and as it is wrong to     

leave the beast of even an enemy in the 
ditch1 however long its ears1 ,i must   
just try and set it on its legs4 ,would 
it not run better thus8   ,tobacco and  
whisky cost siller1    ,an' meal is but 
scanty at hame2  ,but gang to the       
stane-mason ,m----r1    ,he'll pang wi' 
ichth'olites your wame1--  ,wi' fish66  
as ,agassiz has ca'ed 'em1    ,in       
,greek1 like themsel's1 hard an' odd1   
,that were baked in stane pies afore    
,adam    ,gaed names to the haddocks and
 cod4  ,bad enough as rhyme1 ,i suspect2
 but conclusive as evidence to prove    
that the animal spirits1 under the      
influence of the bracing walk1 the fine 
day1 and the agreeable recounter at the 
fish-beds1--not forgetting the half-gill
 bumper1--had mounted very considerably 
above their ordinary level at the       
editorial desk4  ,the raised beach may  
be found on the slopes of a             
grass-covered eminence1 once the site of
 an ancient hill-fort1 and which still  
exhibits1 along the rim-like edge of the

 flat area atop1 scattered fragments of 
the vitrified walls4 ,a general covering
 of turf restricted my examination of   
the shells to one point1 where a        
land-slip on a small scale had laid the 
deposit bare2 but ,i at least saw enough
 to convince me that the debris of the  
shell-fish used of old as food by the   
garrison had not been mistaken for the  
remains of a raised beach1--a mistake   
which in other localities has occurred1 
,i have reason to believe1 oftener than 
once4 ,the shells1 some of them         
exceedingly minute1 and not of edible   
species1 occur in layers in a siliceous 
stratified sand1 overlaid by a bed of   
bluish-colored silt4 ,i picked out of   
the sand two entire specimens of a      
full-grown ,fusus1 little more than half
 an inch in length1--the ,fusus         
turricola2 and the greater number of the
 fragments that lay bleaching at the    
foot of the broken slope1 in a state of 
chalky friability1 seemed to be         
fragments of those smaller bivalves1    

belonging to the genera ,donax1 ,venus1 
and ,mactra1 that are so common on flat 
sandy shores4 ,but when the sea washed  
over these shells1 they could have been 
the denizens of at least no flat shore4 
,the descent on which they occur sinks  
downwards to the existing beach1 over   
which it is elevated at this point two  
hundred and thirty feet1 at an angle    
with the horizon of from thirty-five to 
forty degrees4 ,were the land to be now 
submerged to where they appear on the   
hill-side1 the bay of ,gamrie1 as abrupt
 in its slopes as the upper part of     
,loch ,lomond or the sides of ,loch     
,ness1 would possess a depth of forty   
fathoms water at little more than a     
hundred yards from the shore4 ,i may    
add1 that ,i could trace at this height 
no marks of such a continuous terrace   
around the sides of the bay as the waves
 would have infallibly excavated in the 
diluvium1 had the sea stood at a level  
so high1 or1 according to the more      
prevalent view1 had the land stood at a 

level so low1 for any considerable time2
 though the green banks which sweep     
around the upper part of the inflection1
 unscarred by the defacing plough1 would
 scarce have failed to retain some mark 
of where the surges had broken1 had the 
surges been long there4 ,whatever may in
 this special case be the fact1 however1
 ,i cannot doubt that in the            
comparatively modern period of the      
boulder clays1 ,scotland lay buried     
under water to a depth at least five    
times as great as the space between this
 ancient sea-beach and the existing     
tide-line4     ,,chapter ,,ii4          
,character of the ,rocks near           
,gardenstone--,a ,defunct               
,father-lasher--,a      ,geological     
,inference--,village of                 
,gardenstone--,the drunken              
,scot--,gardenstone ,inn--,lord         
,gardenstone--,a ,tempest               
threatened--,the      ,author's ,ghost  
,story--,the ,lady in ,green--,her      
,appearance and      ,tricks--,the      

,rescued ,children--,the murdered       
,peddler and his      ,pack--,where the 
,green ,dress came from--,village of    
,macduff--,peculiar      ,appearance of 
the ,beach at the ,mouth of the         
,deveron--,dr4 ,emslie's                
,fossils--,pterichthys                  
quadratus--,argillaceous ,deposit of    
,blackpots--,pipe-laying in             
,scotland--,fossils of ,blackpots       
,clay--,mr4      ,longmuir's            
,description of them--,blackpots        
,deposit a ,re-formation of      a      
,liasic ,patch--,period of its          
,formation4   ,i lingered on the        
hill-side considerably longer than ,i   
ought2 and then1 hurrying downwards to  
the beach1 passed eastwards under a     
range of abrupt1 mouldering precipices  
of red sandstone1 to the village4 ,from 
the lie of the strata1 which1 instead of
 inclining coastwise1 dip towards the   
interior of the country1 and present in 
the descent seawards the outcrop of     
lower and yet lower deposits of the     

formation1 ,i found it would be in vain 
to look for the ichthyolite beds along  
the shore4 ,they may possibly be found1 
however1 though ,i lacked time to       
ascertain the fact1 along the sides of a
 deep ravine1 which occurs near an old  
ecclesiastical edifice of gray stone1   
perched1 nest-like1 half-way up the     
bank1 on a green hummock that overlooks 
the sea4 ,the rocks1 laid bare by the   
tide1 belong to the bed of              
coarse-grained red sandstone1 varying   
from eighty to a hundred and fifty feet 
in thickness1 which lies between the    
lower fish-bed and the great            
conglomerate1 and which1 in not a few of
 its strata1 passes itself into a       
species of conglomerate1 different only 
from that which it overlies1 in being   
more finely comminuted4 ,the continuity 
of this bed1 like that of the deposit on
 which it rests1 is very remarkable4 ,i 
have found it occurring at many various 
points1 over an area at least ten       
thousand square miles in extent1 and    

bearing always the same well-marked     
character of a more thoroughly          
ground-down conglomerate than the great 
conglomerate on which it reposes4 ,the  
underlying bed is composed of broken    
fragments of the rocks below1 crushed1  
as if by some imperfect rudimentary     
process1 like that which in a mill      
merely breaks the grain2 whereas1 in the
 bed above1 a portion of the            
previously-crushed materials seems to   
have been subjected to some further     
attritive process1 like that through    
which1 in the mill1 the broken grain is 
ground down into meal or flour4  ,as ,i 
passed onwards1 ,i saw1 amid a heap of  
drift-weed stranded high on the beach by
 the previous tide1 a defunct           
father-lasher1 with the two defensive   
spines which project from its opercles  
stuck fast into little cubes of cork1   
that had floated its head above water1  
as the tyro-swimmer floats himself upon 
bladders2 and my previous acquaintance  
with the habits of a fishing village    

enabled me at once to determine why and 
how it had perished4 ,though almost     
never used as food on the eastern coast 
of ,scotland1 it had been inconsiderate 
enough to take the fisherman's bait1 as 
if it had been worthy of being eaten2   
and he had avenged himself for the      
trouble it had cost him1 by mounting it 
on cork1 and sending it off1 to wander  
between wind and water1 like the ,flying
 ,dutchman1 until it died4 ,was there   
ever on earth a creature save man that  
could have played a fellow-mortal a     
trick at once so ingeniously and        
gratuitously cruel8 ,or what would be   
the proper inference1 were ,i to find   
one of the many-thorned ichthyolites of 
the ,lower ,old ,red ,sandstone with the
 spines of its pectorals similarly fixed
 on cubes of lignite8--that there had   
existed in these early ages not merely  
physical death1 but also moral evil2 and
 that the being who perpetrated the evil
 could not only inflict it simply for   
the sake of the pleasure he found in it1

 and without prospect of advantage to   
himself1 but also by so adroitly        
reversing1 fiend-like1 the purposes of  
the benevolent ,designer1 that the      
weapons given for the defence of a poor 
harmless creature should be converted   
into the instruments of its destruction4
 ,it was not without meaning that it was
 forbidden by the law of ,moses to      
seethe a kid in its mother's milk4  ,a  
steep bulwark in front1 against which   
the tide lashes twice every twenty-four 
hours1--an abrupt hill behind1--a few   
rows of squalid cottages built of red   
sandstone1 much wasted by the keen      
sea-winds1--a wilderness of dunghills   
and ruinous pig-styes1--women seated at 
the doors1 employed in baiting lines or 
mending nets1--groups of men lounging   
lazily at some gable-end fronting the   
sea1--herds of ragged children playing  
in the lanes1--such are the components  
of the fishing village of ,gardenstone4 
,from the identity of name1 ,i had      
associated the place with that ,lord    

,gardenstone of the ,court of ,sessions 
who published1 late in the last century1
 a volume of ,miscellanies in ,prose and
 ,verse1 containing1 among other clever 
things1 a series of tart criticisms on  
,english plays1 transcribed1 it was     
stated in the preface1 from the margins 
and fly-leaves of the books of a small  
library kept open by his ,lordship for  
the amusement of travellers at the inn  
of some village in his immediate        
neighborhood2 and taking it for granted1
 somehow1 that ,gardenstone was the     
village1 ,i was looking around me for   
the inn1 in the hope that where his     
,lordship had opened a library ,i might 
find a dinner4 ,but failing to discern  
it1 ,i addressed myself on the subject  
to an elderly man in a pack-sheet apron1
 who stood all alone1 looking out upon  
the sea1 like ,napoleon1 in the print1  
from a projection of the bulwark4 ,he   
turned round1 and showed1 by an         
unmistakable expression of eye and      
feature1 that he was what the servant   

girl in ,guy ,mannering characterizes as
 very particularly drunk1--not stupidly1
 but happily1 funnily1 conceitedly      
drunk1 and full of all manner of high   
thoughts of himself4 ,it'll be an awfu' 
coorse nicht1 he said1 fra the sea4     
,very likely1 ,i replied1 reiterating my
 query in a form that indicated some    
little confidence of receiving the      
needed information2 ,i daresay you could
 point me out the public-house here8    
,aweel1 ,i wat1 that ,i can2 but what's 
that8 pointing to the straps of my      
knapsack2--are ye a sodger on the       
,queen's account1 or ye'r ain8 ,on my   
own1 to be sure2 but have ye a          
public-house here8 ,ay1 twa2 ye'll be a 
traveller8 ,o yes1 great traveller1 and 
very hungry3 have ,i passed the best    
public-house8 ,ay2 and ye'll hae come a 
gude stap the day8 ,a woman came up1    
with spectacles on nose1 and a piece of 
white seam-work in her hand2 and1       
cutting short the dialogue by addressing
 myself to her1 she at once directed me 

to the public-house4 ,hoot1 gude-wife1  
,i heard the man say1 as ,i turned down 
the street1 we suld ha'e gotten mair oot
 o' him4 ,he's a great traveller yon1   
an' has a gude ,scots tongue in his     
head4  ,travellers1 save when1 during   
the herring season1 an occasional       
fish-curer comes the way1 rarely bait at
 the ,gardenstone inn2 and in the little
 low-browed room1 with its windows in   
the thatch1 into which1 as her best1 the
 land-lady ushered me1 ,i certainly     
found nothing to identify the locale    
with that chosen by the literary lawyer 
for his open library4 ,but1 according to
 ,ferguson1 though learning was scant1  
provision was good2 and ,i dined        
sumptuously on an immense platter of    
fried flounders4 ,there was a little bit
 of cold pork added to the fare2 but1   
aware from previous experience of the   
pisciverous habits of the swine of a    
fishing village1 ,i did what ,i knew the
 defunct pig must have very frequently  
done before me1--satisfied a            

keenly-whetted appetite on fish         
exclusively4 ,i need hardly remind the  
reader that ,lord ,gardenstone's inn was
 not that of ,gardenstone1 but that of  
,laurence-kirk1--the thriving village   
which it was the special ambition of    
this law-lord of the last century to    
create2 and which1 did it produce only  
its famed snuff-boxes1 with the         
invisible hinges1 would be rather a more
 valuable boon to the country than that 
secured to it by those law-lords of our 
own days1 who at one fell blow          
disestablished the national religion of 
,scotland1 and broke off the only handle
 by which their friends the politicians 
could hope to manage the country's old  
vigorous ,presbyterianism4 ,meanwhile it
 was becoming apparent that the man with
 the apron had as shrewdly anticipated  
the character of the coming night as if 
he had been soberer4 ,the sun1 ere its  
setting1 disappeared in a thick leaden  
haze1 which enveloped the whole heavens2
 and twilight seemed posting on to night

 a full hour before its time4 ,i settled
 a very moderate bill1 and set off under
 the cliffs at a round pace1 in the hope
 of scaling the hill1 and gaining the   
high road atop which leads to ,macduff1 
ere the darkness closed4 ,i had1        
however1 miscalculated my distance2 ,i1 
besides1 lost some little time in the   
opening of the deep ravine to which ,i  
have already referred as that in which  
possibly the fish-beds may be found     
cropping out2 and ,i had got but a      
little beyond the gray ecclesiastical   
ruin1 with its lonely burying-ground1   
when the tempest broke and the night    
fell4  ,one of the last objects which ,i
 saw1 as ,i turned to take a farewell   
look of the bay of ,gamrie1 was the     
magnificent promontory of ,troup ,head1 
outlined in black on a ground of deep   
gray1 with its two terminal stacks      
standing apart in the sea4 ,and         
straightway1 through one of those tricks
 of association so powerful in raising1 
as if from the dead1 buried memories of 

things of which the mind has been       
oblivious for years1 there started up in
 recollection the details of an ancient 
ghost-story1 of which ,i had not thought
 before for perhaps a quarter of a      
century4 ,it had been touched1 ,i       
suppose1 in its obscure1 unnoted corner1
 as ,ithuriel touched the toad1 by the  
apparition of the insulated stacks of   
,troup1 seen dimly in the thickening    
twilight over the solitary              
burying-ground4 ,for it so chances that 
one of the main incidents of the story  
bears reference to an insulated         
sea-stack2 and it is connected          
altogether1 though ,i cannot fix its    
special locality1 with this part of the 
coast4 ,the story had been long in my   
mother's family1 into which it had been 
originally brought by a                 
great-grandfather of the writer1 who    
quitted some of the seaport villages of 
,banffshire for the northern side of the
 ,moray ,frith1 about the year #agah2   
and1 when pushing on in the darkness1   

straining as ,i best could1 to maintain 
a sorely-tried umbrella against the     
capricious struggles of the tempest1    
that now tatooed furiously upon its back
 as if it were a kettle-drum1 and now   
got underneath its stout ribs1 and      
threatened to send it up aloft like a   
balloon1 and anon twisted it from side  
to side1 and strove to turn it inside   
out1 like a ,kilmarnock night-cap1--,i  
employed myself in arranging in my mind 
the details of the narrative1 as they   
had been communicated to me half an age 
before by a female relative4  ,the      
opening of the story1 though it existed 
long ere the times of ,sir ,walter      
,scott or the ,waverly novels1 bears    
some resemblance to the opening in the  
,monastery1 of the story of the ,white  
,lady of ,avenel4 ,the wife of a        
,banffshire proprietor of the minor     
class had been about six months dead1   
when one of her husband's ploughmen1    
returning on horseback from the smithy1 
in the twilight of an autumn evening1   

was accosted1 on the banks of a small   
stream1 by a stranger lady1 tall and    
slim1 and wholly attired in green1 with 
her face wrapped up in the hood of her  
mantle1 who requested to be taken up    
behind him on the horse1 and carried    
across4 ,there was something in the     
tones of her voice that seemed to thrill
 through his very bones1 and to         
insinuate itself1 in the form of a chill
 fluid1 between his skull and the scalp4
 ,the request1 too1 appeared a strange  
one2 for the rivulet was small and low1 
and could present no serious bar to the 
progress of the most timid traveller4   
,but the man1 unwilling ungallantly to  
offend a lady1 turned his horse to the  
bank1 and she sprang up lightly behind  
him4 ,she was1 however1 a personage that
 could be better seen than felt2 she    
came in contact with the ploughman's    
back1 he said1 as if she had been an    
ill-filled sack of wool2 and when1 on   
reaching the opposite side of the       
streamlet1 she leaped down as slightly  

as she had mounted1 and he turned       
fearfully round to catch a second       
glimpse of her1 it was in the conviction
 that she was a creature considerably   
less earthly in her texture than        
himself4 ,she had opened1 with two pale1
 thin arms1 the enveloping hood1        
exhibiting a face equally pale and thin1
 which seemed marked1 however1 by the   
roguish1 half-humorous expression of one
 who had just succeeded in playing off a
 good joke4 ,my dead mistress66         
exclaimed the ploughman4 ,yes1 ,john1   
your mistress1 replied the ghost4 ,but  
ride home1 my bonny man1 for it's       
growing late3 you and ,i will be better 
acquainted ere long4 ,john accordingly  
rode home and told his story4  ,next    
evening1 about the same hour1 as two of 
the laird's servant-maids were engaged  
in washing in an out-house1 there came a
 slight tap to the door4 ,come in1 said 
one of the maids2 and the lady entered1 
dressed1 as on the previous night1 in   
green4 ,she swept past them to the inner

 part of the washing-room2 and1 seating 
herself on a low bench1 from which1 ere 
her death1 she used occasionally to     
superintend their employment1 she began 
to question them1 as if still in the    
body1 about the progress of their work4 
,the girls1 however1 were greatly too   
frightened to make any reply4 ,she then 
visited an old woman who had nursed the 
laird1 and to whom she used to show1 ere
 her departure1 greatly more kindness   
than her husband4 ,and she now seemed as
 much interested in her welfare as ever4
 ,she inquired whether the laird was    
kind to her1 and looking round her      
little smoky cottage1 regretted she     
should be so indifferently lodged1 and  
that her cupboard1 which was rather of  
the emptiest at the time1 should not be 
more amply furnished4 ,for nearly a     
twelvemonth after1 scarce a day passed  
in which she was not seen by some of the
 domestics2 never1 however1 except on   
one occasion1 after the sun had risen1  
or before it had set4 ,the maids could  

see her1 in the gray of the morning     
flitting like a shadow round their beds1
 or peering in upon them at night       
through the dark window-panes1 or at    
half-open doors4 ,in the evening she    
would glide into the kitchen or some of 
the out-houses1--one of the most        
familiar and least dignified of her     
class that ever held intercourse with   
mankind1--and inquire of the girls how  
they had been employed during the day2  
often1 however1 without obtaining an    
answer1 though from a cause different   
from that which had at first tied their 
tongues4 ,for they had become so        
regardless of her presence1 viewing her 
simply as a troublesome mistress1 who   
had no longer any claim to be heeded1   
that when she entered1 and they had     
dropped their conversation1 under the   
impression that their visitor was a     
creature of flesh and blood like        
themselves1 they would again resume it1 
remarking that the entrant was only the 
green lady4 ,though always cadaverously 

pale1 and miserable looking1 she        
affected a joyous disposition1 and was  
frequently heard to laugh1 even when    
invisible4 ,at one time1 when provoked  
by the studied silence of a servant     
girl1 she flung a pillow at her head1   
which the girl caught up and returned2  
at another1 she presented her first     
acquaintance1 the ploughman1 with what  
seemed to be a handful of silver coin1  
which he transferred to his pocket1 but 
which1 on hearing her laugh1 he drew    
out1 and found to be merely a handful of
 slate shivers4 ,on yet another         
occasion1 the man1 when passing on      
horseback through a clump of wood1 was  
repeatedly struck from behind the trees 
by little pellets of turf2 and1 on      
riding into the thicket1 he found that  
his assailant was the green lady4 ,to   
her husband she never appeared2 but he  
frequently heard the tones of her voice 
echoing from the lower apartments1 and  
the faint peal of her cold1 unnatural   
laugh4  ,one day at noon1 a year after  

her first appearance1 the old nurse was 
surprised to see her enter the cottage2 
as all her previous visits had been made
 early in the morning or late in the    
evening2 whereas now1--though the day   
was dark and lowering1 and a storm of   
wind and rain had just broken           
out1--still it was day4 ,mammie1 she    
said1 ,i cannot open the heart of the   
laird1 and ,i have nothing of my own to 
give you2 but ,i think ,i can do        
something for you now4 ,go straight to  
the ,white ,house that of a neighboring 
proprietor1 and tell the folk there to  
set out with all the speed of man and   
horse for the black rock in the sea1 at 
the foot of the crags1 or they'll rue it
 dearly to their dying day4 ,their      
bairns1 foolish things1 have gone out to
 the rock1 and the tide has flowed      
around them2 and1 if no help reach them 
soon1 they'll be all scattered like     
sea-ware on the shore ere the fall of   
the sea4 ,but if you go and tell your   
story at the ,white ,house1 mammie1 the 

bairns will be safe for an hour to come1
 and there will be something done by    
their mother to better you1 for the     
news4 ,the woman went1 as directed1 and 
told her story2 and the father of the   
children set out on horseback in hot    
haste for the rock1--a low1 insulated   
skerry1 which1 lying on a solitary part 
of the beach1 far below the line of     
flood1 was shut out from the view of the
 inhabited country by a wall of         
precipices1 and covered every tide by   
several feet of water4 ,on reaching the 
edge of the cliffs1 he saw the black    
rock1 as the woman had described1       
surrounded by the sea1 and the children 
clinging to its higher crags4 ,but1     
though the waves were fast rising1 his  
attempts to ride out through the surf to
 the poor little things were frustrated 
by their cries1 which so frightened his 
horse as to render it unmanageable2 and 
so he had to gallop on to the nearest   
fishing village for a boat4 ,so much    
time was unavoidably lost in            

consequence1 that nearly the whole beach
 was covered by the sea1 and the surf   
had begun to lash the feet of the       
precipices behind2 but until the boat   
arrived1 not a single wave dashed over  
the black rock2 though immediately after
 the last of the children had been      
rescued1 an immense wreath of foam rose 
twice a man's height over its topmost   
pinnacle4  ,the old nurse1 on her return
 to the cottage1 found the green lady   
sitting beside the fire4 ,mammie1 she   
said1 you have made friends to yourself 
to-day1 who will be kinder to you than  
your foster-son4 ,i must now leave you4 
,my time is out1 and you'll be all left 
to yourselves2 but ,i'll have no rest1  
mammie1 for many a twelvemonth to come4 
,ten years ago1 a travelling peddler    
broke into our garden in the fruit      
season1 and ,i sent out our old         
ploughman1 who is now in ,ireland1 to   
drive him away4 ,it was on a ,sunday1   
and everybody else was in church4 ,the  
men struggled and fought1 and the       

peddler was killed4 ,but though ,i at   
first thought of bringing the case      
before the laird1 when ,i saw the dead  
man's pack1 with its silks and its      
velvets1 and this unhappy piece of green
 satin 7shaking her dress71 my foolish  
heart beguiled me1 and ,i made the      
ploughman bury the peddler's body under 
our ash tree1 in the corner of our      
garden1 and we divided his goods and    
money between us4 ,you must bid the     
laird raise his bones1 and carry them to
 the churchyard2 and the gold1 which you
 will find in the little bowl under the 
tapestry in my room1 must be sent to a  
poor old widow1 the peddler's mother1   
who lives on the shore of ,leith4 ,i    
must now away to ,ireland to the        
ploughman2 and ,i'll be e'en less       
welcome to him1 mammie1 than at the     
laird's2 but the hungry blood cries loud
 against us both1--him and me1--and we  
must suffer together4 ,take care you    
look not after me till ,i have passed   
the knowe4 ,she glided away1 as she     

spoke1 in a gleam of light2 and when the
 old woman had withdrawn her hand from  
her eyes1 dazzled by the sudden         
brightness1 she saw only a large black  
gray-hound crossing the moor4 ,and the  
green lady was never afterwards seen in 
,scotland4 ,the little hoard of gold    
pieces1 however1 stored in a concealed  
recess of her former apartment1 and the 
mouldering ruins of the peddler under   
the ash tree1 gave evidence to the truth
 of her narrative4 ,the story was hardly
 wild enough for a night so drear and a 
road so lonely2 its ghost-heroine was   
but a homely ghost-heroine1 too little  
aware that the same familiarity which1  
according to the proverb1 breeds        
contempt when exercised by the denizens 
of this world1 produces similar effects 
when too much indulged in by the        
inhabitants of another4 ,but the        
arrangement and restoration of the      
details of the tradition1--for they had 
been scattered in my mind like the      
fragments of a broken fossil1--furnished

 me with so much amusement1 when        
struggling with the storm1 as to shorten
 by at least one-half the seven miles   
which intervene between ,gamrie and     
,macduff4 ,instead1 however1 of pressing
 on to ,banff1 as ,i had at first       
intended1 ,i baited for the night at a  
snug little inn in the latter village1  
which ,i reached just wet enough to     
enjoy the luxury of a strong clear fire 
of ,newcastle coal4  ,mrs4 ,longmuir had
 furnished me with a note of            
introduction to ,dr4 ,emslie of ,banff1 
an intelligent geologist1 familiar with 
the deposits of the district2 and1      
walking on to his place of residence    
next morning1 in a rain as heavy as that
 of the previous night1 ,i made it my   
first business to wait on him1 and      
deliver the note4 ,ere1 however1        
crossing the ,deveron1 which flows      
between ,banff and ,macduff1 ,i paused  
for a few minutes in the rain1 to mark  
the peculiar appearance presented by the
 beach where the river disembogues into 

the frith4 ,occurring as a rectangular  
spit in the line of the shore1 with the 
expanded stream widening into an estuary
 on its upper side1 and the open sea on 
the lower1 it marks the scene of an     
obstinate contest between antagonist    
forces1--the powerful sweep of the      
torrent1 and the not less powerful waves
 of the stormy north-east2 and exists1  
in consequence1 as a long gravelly      
prism1 which presents as steep an angle 
of descent to the waves on the one side 
as to the current on the other4 ,it is a
 true river bar1 beaten in from its     
proper place in the sea by the violence 
of the surf1 and fairly stranded4 ,dr4  
,emslie obligingly submitted to my      
inspection his set of ,gamrie fossils1  
containing several good specimens of    
,pterichthys and ,coccosteus1           
undistinguishable1 like those ,i had    
seen on the previous day1 in their state
 of keeping1 and the character of the   
nodular matrices in which they lie1 from
 my old acquaintance the ,cephalaspians 

of ,cromarty4 ,the animal matter which  
the bony plates and scales originally   
contained has been converted1 in both   
the ,gamrie and ,cromarty ichthyolites1 
into a jet-black bitumen2 and in both1  
the inclosing nodules consist of a      
smoke-colored argillaceous limestone1   
which formed around the organisms in a  
bed of stratified clay1 and at once     
exhibits1 in consequence1 the           
rectilinear lines of the stratification1
 mechanical in their origin1 and the    
radiating ones of the sub-crystalline   
concretion1 purely a trick of the       
chemistry of the deposit4 ,a            
,pterichthys in ,dr4 ,emslie's          
collection struck me as different in its
 proportions from any ,i had previously 
seen1 though1 from its state of rather  
imperfect preservation1 ,i hesitated to 
pronounce absolutely upon the fact4 ,i  
cannot now doubt1 however1 that it      
belonged to a species not figured nor   
described at the time2 but which1 under 
the name of ,pterichthys quadratus1     

forms in part the subject of a still    
unpublished memoir1 in which ,sir       
,philip ,egerton1 our first ,british    
authority on fossil fish1 has done me   
the honor to associate my humble name   
with his own2 and which will have the   
effect of reducing to the ranks of the  
,pterichthyan genus the supposed genera 
,pamphractus and ,homothorax4 ,a second 
set of fossils1 which ,dr4 ,emslie had  
derived from his tile-works at          
,blackpots1 proved1 ,i found1 identical 
with those of the ,eathie ,lias4 ,as    
this ,banffshire deposit had formed a   
subject of considerable discussion and  
difference among geologists1 ,i was     
curious to examine it2 and the ,doctor1 
though the day was still none of the    
best1 kindly walked out with me1 to     
bring under my notice appearances which1
 in the haste of a first examination1 ,i
 might possibly overlook1 and to show me
 yet another set of fossils which he    
kept at the works4 ,he informed me1 as  
we went1 that the ,grauwacke 7,lower    

,silurian7 deposits of the district1    
hitherto deemed so barren1 had recently 
yielded their organisms in a slate      
quarry at ,gamrie-head2 and that they   
belong to that ancient family of the    
,pennatularia which1 in this northern   
kingdom1 seems to have taken precedence 
of all the others4 ,judging from what   
now appears1 the ,graptolite must be    
regarded as the first settler who       
squatted for a living in that deep-sea  
area of undefined boundary occupied at  
the present time by the bold wave-worn  
headlands and blue hills of ,scotland2  
and this new ,banffshire locality not   
only greatly extends the range of the   
fossil in reference to the kingdom1 but 
also establishes1 in a general way1 the 
fossiliferous identity of the ,lower    
,silurian deposits to the north of the  
,grampians with that of ,peebles-shire  
and ,galloway in the south1--so far as  
,i know1 the only other two ,scottish   
districts in which this organism has    
been found4  ,the argillaceous deposit  

of ,blackpots occupies1 in the form of a
 green swelling bank1 a promontory      
rather soft than bold in its contour1   
that projects far into the sea1 and     
forms1 when tipped with its slim column 
of smoke from the tile-kiln1 a pleasing 
feature in the landscape4 ,i had set it 
down on the previous day1 when it first 
caught my eye from the lofty cliffs of  
,gamrie-head1 at the distance of some   
ten or twelve miles1 as different in    
character from all the other features of
 the prospect4 ,the country generally is
 moulded on a framework of primary rock1
 and presents headlands of hard1 sharp  
outline1 to the attrition of the waves2 
whereas this single headland in the     
midst1--soft-lined1 undulatory1 and     
plump1--seems suited to remind one of   
,burns's young ,kirk ,alloway beauty    
disporting amid the thin old ladies that
 joined with her in the dance4 ,and it  
is a greatly younger beauty than the    
,cambrian and mica-schist protuberances 
that encroach on the sea on either side 

of it4 ,the sheds and kilns of a        
tile-work occupy the flat terminal point
 of the promontory2 and as the clay is  
valuable1 in this tile-draining age1 for
 the facility with which it can be      
moulded into pipe-tiles 7a purpose which
 the ordinary clays of the north of     
,scotland1 composed chiefly of          
re-formations of the ,old ,red          
,sandstone1 are what is technically     
termed too short to serve71 it is       
gradually retreating inland before the  
persevering spade and mattock of the    
laborer4 ,the deposit has already been  
drawn out into many hundred miles of    
cylindrical pipes1 and is destined to be
 drawn out into many thousands          
more1--such being one of the strange    
metamorphoses effected in the geologic  
formations1 now that that curious animal
 the ,bimana has come upon the stage2   
and at length it will have no existence 
in the country1 save as an immense      
system of veins and arteries underlying 
the vegetable mould4 ,will these veins  

and arteries1 ,i marvel1 form1 in their 
turn1 the fossils of another period1    
when a higher platform than that into   
which they have been laid will be       
occupied to the full by plants and      
animals specifically different from     
those of the present scene of           
things1--the existences of a happier and
 more finished creation8 ,my business   
to-day1 however1 was with the fossils   
which the deposit now contains1--not    
with those which it may ultimately form4
  ,the ,blackpots clay is of a          
dark-bluish or greenish-gray color1 and 
so adhesive1 that ,i now felt1 when     
walking among it1 after the softening   
rains of the previous night and morning1
 as if ,i had got into a bed of         
bird-lime4 ,it is thinly charged with   
rolled pebbles1 septaria1 and pieces of 
a bituminous shale1 containing broken   
,belemnites1 and sorely-flattened       
,ammonites1 that exist as thin films of 
a white chalky lime4 ,the pebbles1 like 
those of the boulder-clay of the        

northern side of the ,moray ,frith1 are 
chiefly of the primary rocks and older  
sandstones1 and were probably in the    
neighborhood1 in their present rolled   
form1 long ere the re-formation of the  
inclosing mass2 while the shale and the 
septaria are1 as shown by their fossils1
 decidedly ,liasic4 ,i detected among   
the conchifers a well-marked species of 
our northern ,lias1 figured by ,sowerby 
from ,eathie specimens1--the            
,plagiostoma concentrica2 and among the 
,cephalopoda1 though considerably       
broken1 the ,belemnite elongatus and    
,belemnite lanceolata1 with the         
,ammonite ,koenigi 7mutabilis71--all    
,eathie shells4 ,i1 besides1 found in   
the bank a piece of a peculiar-looking  
quartzose sandstone1 traversed by hard  
jaspedeous veins of a brownish-gray     
color1 which ,i have never found1 in    
,scotland at least1 save associated with
 the ,lias of our north-eastern coasts4 
,further1 my attention was directed by  
,dr4 ,emslie to a fine ,lignite in his  

collection1 which had once formed some  
eighteen inches or two feet of the trunk
 of a straight slender pine1--probably  
the ,pinites ,eiggensis1--in which1 as  
in most woods of the ,lias and ,oolite1 
the annual rings are as strongly marked 
as in the existing firs or larches of   
our hill-sides4#aa ,the ,blackpots      
deposit is evidently a re-formation of a
 ,liasic patch1 identical1 both in      
mineralogical character and in its      
organic remains1 with the lower beds of 
the ,eathie ,lias2 while the fragments  
of shale which it contains belong       
chiefly to an upper ,liasic bed4 ,so    
rich is the dark-colored tenacious argil
 of the ,inferior ,lias of ,eathie1 that
 the geologist who walks over it when it
 is still moist with the receding tide  
would do well to look to his            
footing2--the mixture of soap and grease
 spread by the ship-carpenter on his    
launch-slips1 to facilitate the progress
 of his vessel seawards1 is not more    
treacherous to the tread3 while the     

,upper ,liasic deposit which rests over 
it is composed of a dark slaty shale1   
largely charged with bitumen4 ,and of a 
,liasic deposit of this compound        
character1 consisting in larger part of 
an inferior argillaceous bed1 and in    
lesser part of a superior one of dark   
shale1 the tile-clay of ,blackpots has  
been formed4  ,i had next to determine  
whether aught remained to indicate the  
period of its re-formation4 ,the        
tile-works at the point of the          
promontory rest on a bed of shell-sand1 
composed exclusively1 like the sand so  
abundant on the western coast of        
,scotland1 of fragments of existing     
shells4 ,these1 however1 are so fresh   
and firm1 that1 though the stratum which
 they form seems to underlie the clay at
 its edges1 ,i cannot regard them as    
older than the most modern of our       
ancient sea-margins4 ,they formed1 in   
all probability1 in the days of the old 
coast line1 a white shelly beach1 under 
such a precipitous front of the dark    

clay as argillaceous deposits almost    
always present to the undermining wear  
of the waves4 ,on the recession of the  
sea1 however1 to its present line1 the  
abrupt1 steep front1 loosened by the    
frosts and washed by the rains1 would of
 course gradually moulder down over them
 into a slope2 and there would thus be  
communicated to the shelly stratum1 at  
least at its edges1 an underlying       
character4 ,the true period of the      
re-formation of the deposit was1 ,i can 
have no doubt1 that of the boulder-clay4
 ,i observed that the septaria and      
larger masses of shale which the bed    
contains1 bear1 on roughly-polished     
surfaces1 in the line of their larger   
axes1 the mysterious groovings and      
scratchings of this period1--marks which
 ,i have never yet known to fail in     
their chronological evidence4 ,it may be
 mentioned1 too1 simply as a fact1      
though one of less value than the other1
 that the deposit occurs in its larger  
development exactly where1 in the       

average1 the boulder-clays also are most
 largely developed1--a little over that 
line where the waves for so many ages   
charged against the coast1 ere the last 
upheaval of the land or the recession of
 the sea sent them back to their present
 margin4 ,there had probably existed to 
the west or north-west of the deposit1  
perhaps in the middle of the open bay   
formed by the promontory on which it    
rests1--for the small proportion of     
other than ,liasic materials which it   
contains serves to show that it could be
 derived from no great distance1--an    
outlier of the ,lower ,lias4 ,the       
icebergs of the cold glacial period1    
propelled along the submerged land by   
some arctic current1 or caught up by the
 gulf-stream1 gradually grated it down1 
as a mason's laborer grates down the    
surface of the sandstone slab which he  
is engaged in polishing2 and the        
comminuted debris1 borne eastwards by   
the current1 was cast down here4 ,it has
 been stated that no ,liasic remains    

have been found in the boulder-clays of 
,scotland4 ,they are certainly rare in  
the boulder-clays of the northern shores
 of the ,moray ,frith2 for there the    
nearest ,lias1 bearing in a western     
direction from the clay1 is that of     
,applecross1 on the other side of the   
island2 and the materials of the        
boulder-deposits of the north have      
invariably been derived in the line1    
westerly in its general bearing1 of the 
grooves and scratches of the iceberg    
era4 ,but on the southern shore of the  
frith1 where that westerly line passed  
athwart the ,liasic beds of our eastern 
coast1 organisms of the ,lias are       
comparatively common in the             
boulder-clays2 and here1 at ,blackpots1 
we find an extensive deposit of the same
 period formed of ,liasic materials     
almost exclusively4 ,fragments of still 
more modern rocks occur in the          
boulder-clays of ,caithness4 ,my friend 
,mr4 ,robert ,dick1 of ,thurso1 to whose
 persevering labors and interesting     

discoveries in the ,old ,red ,sandstone 
of his locality ,i have had frequent    
occasion to refer1 has detected in a    
blue boulder-clay1 scooped into         
precipitous banks by the river ,thorsa1 
fragments both of chalk-flints and a    
characteristic conglomerate of the      
,oolite4 ,he has1 besides1 found it     
mottled from top to bottom1 a full      
hundred feet over the sea-level1 and    
about two miles inland1 with comminuted 
fragments of existing shells4 ,but of   
this more anon4     ,,chapter ,,iii4    
,from ,blackpots to ,portsoy--,character
 of the ,coast--,burn of                
,boyne--,fever ,phantoms--,graphic      
,granite--,maupertuis and the ,runic    
,inscription--,explanation of the quo   
modo of ,graphic      ,granite--,portsoy
 ,inn--,serpentine ,beds--,portsoy      
,serpentine      unrivalled for small   
ornaments--,description of              
it--,significance of      the term      
serpentine--,elizabeth ,bond and her    
,letters--,from      ,portsoy to        

,cullen--,attritive ,power of the ,ocean
 illustrated--,the                      
,equinoctial--,from ,cullen to          
,fochabers--,the ,old ,red again--,the  
old      ,pensioner--,fochabers--,mr4   
,joss1 the learned ,mail-guard--,the    
,editor      a sort of ,coach-guard--,on
 the ,coach to ,elgin--,geology of      
,banffshire--,irregular paging of the   
,geologic ,leaves--,geologic ,map       
of the ,county like ,joseph's           
,coat--,striking ,illustration4   ,i    
parted from ,dr4 ,emslie1 and walked on 
along the shore to ,portsoy1--for       
three-fourths of the way over the       
prevailing grauwacke of the county1 and 
for the remaining fourth over mica      
schist1 primary limestone1 hornblende   
slate1 granitic and quartz veins1 and   
the various other kindred rocks of a    
primary district4 ,the day was still    
gloomy and gray1 and ill suited to      
improve homely scenery2 nor is this     
portion of the ,banff coast nearly so   
striking as that which ,i had travelled 

over the day before4 ,it has1 however1  
its spots of a redeeming                
character1--rocky recesses on the shore1
 half-beach1 half-sward1 rich in        
wild-flowers and shells1--where one     
could saunter in a calm sunny morning1  
with one's bairns about one1 very       
delightfully2 and the interior is here  
and there agreeably undulated by        
diluvial hillocks1 that1 when the sun   
falls low in the evening1 must chequer  
the landscape with many a pleasing      
alternation of light and shadow4 ,the   
,burn of ,boyne1--which separates1 about
 two miles from ,portsoy1 a grauwacke   
from a mica-schist district1--with its  
bare1 open valley1 its steep limestone  
banks1 and its gray1 melancholy castle1 
long since roofless and windowless1 and 
surrounded by a few stunted trees1 bears
 a deserted and solitary shagginess     
about it1 that struck me as wildly      
agreeable4 ,it is such a valley as one  
might expect to meet a ghost in1 in some
 still1 dewy evening1 as gloamin was    

darkening into uncertainty the outlines 
of the ancient ruin1 and the            
newly-kindled stars looked down upon the
 stream4  ,it so happened1 however1 that
 my only story connected with either    
ruin or valley was as little a ghost    
story as might be4 ,i remember that1    
when lying ill of fever on one          
occasion1--indisposed enough to see     
apparition after apparition flitting    
across the bed-curtains1 like the       
figures of a magic lantern posting along
 the darkened wall1 and yet             
self-possessed enough to know that they 
were but mere pictures in the eye1 and  
to watch them as they rose1--,i set     
myself to determine whether they were in
 any degree amenable to the will1 or    
connected by the ordinary associative   
links of the metaphysician4 ,fixing my  
mind on a certain object1 ,i strove to  
call it up in the character1 not of an  
image of the conceptive faculty1 but of 
a fever-vision on the retina4 ,the image
 which ,i pictured to myself was that of

 a death's head1 yellow and grim1 and   
lighted up1 as if from within1 amid the 
darkness of a burial vault4 ,but the    
death's head obstinately refused to     
rise4 ,i had no control1 ,i found1 over 
the fever imagery4 ,and the picture that
 rose instead1 uncalled and unexpected1 
was that of a coal-fire burning brightly
 in a grate1 with a huge tea-kettle     
steaming cheerily over it4  ,in         
traversing the bare height which1 rising
 on the western side of the valley of   
the ,boyne1 owes its comparatively bold 
relief in the landscape to the firmness 
of the primary rock which composes it1  
,i picked up a piece of graphic granite1
 bearing its inlaid characters of dark  
quartz on a ground of cream-colored     
feldspar4 ,this variety1 however1 though
 occasionally found in rolled boulders  
in the neighborhood of ,portsoy1 is not 
the graphic granite for which the       
locality is famous1 and which occurs in 
a vein in the mica schist of the        
eminence ,i was now traversing1 about a 

mile to the east of the town4 ,the      
prevailing ground of the granite of the 
vein is a flesh-colored feldspar2 and   
the thickly-marked quartzose characters 
with which it is set1 greatly smaller   
and paler than in the cream-colored     
stone1 bear less the antique ,hebraic   
look1 and would scarce deceive even the 
most credulous antiquary4 ,antiquarians1
 however1 have been sometimes deceived  
by weathered specimens of this graphic  
rock1 in which the characters were of   
considerable size1 and restricted to    
thin veins1 covering the surface of a   
schistose groundwork4 ,maupertuis1      
during his famous journey to ,lapland1  
undertaken in #agcg1 to establish1 from 
actual measurement1 that the degrees of 
latitude are longer towards the pole    
than at the equator1 and which          
demonstrated1 of consequence1 the true  
figure of the earth1 travelled thirty   
leagues out of his way1 through a wild  
country covered with snow1 to examine an
 ancient monument1 of which1 he says1   

the ,fins and ,laplanders frequently    
spoke1 as containing in its inscription 
the knowledge of everything of which    
they were ignorant4 ,he found it on the 
side of a mountain1 buried in snow2 and 
ascertained1 after kindling a great fire
 around it1 in order to lay it bare1    
that it was a stone of irregular form1  
composed of various layers of unequal   
hardness1 and that the characters1 which
 were rather more than an inch in       
length1 were written on a layer of a    
species of flint1 chiefly in two lines1 
with a few scattered signs beneath1     
while the rest of the mass was composed 
of a rock more soft and foliated4       
,graphic granite1 it may be mentioned1  
generally occurs1 not in masses1 but in 
veins and layers4 ,the inscription had  
been described in a previously published
 dissertation of immense erudition1 as  
,runic2 but a ,runic scholar of the     
party found he could make nothing of it4
 ,the philosopher himself was struck by 
the frequent repetition of characters of

 nearly the same form on the stone2 but 
he was ingenious enough to get over the 
difficulty1 by remembering that in our  
notation1 after the ,arabic manner1     
characters shaped exactly alike may be  
very frequently repeated1--nay1 as in   
some of the lines of the ,lapland       
inscription1 may succeed each other1 as 
in the sums ,i4 ,,ii4 ,,iii4 ,,iiii4 or 
,x4 ,,xx4 ,,xxx41--and yet very distinct
 and definite ideas attach to them all4 
,still1 however1 he could not1 he says1 
venture on authoritatively deciding     
whether the inscription was a work of   
man or a sport of nature4 ,he stood     
between his two conclusions1 like our   
,edinburgh antiquarians between the two 
fossil ,maries of ,gueldres2 and1 richer
 in eloquence than most of the          
philosophers his contemporaries1 was    
quite prepared1 in his uncertainty1 to  
give gilded mounting and a purple pall  
to both4  ,should it be no other than a 
sport of nature1 he concludes1 the      
reputation which the stone bears in this

 country deserves that we should have   
given a description of it4 ,if1 on the  
other hand1 what is on it be an         
inscription1 though it certainly does   
not possess the beauty of the sculpture 
of ,greece or ,rome1 it very possibly   
has the advantage of being the oldest in
 the universe4 ,the country in which it 
is found is inhabited only by a race of 
men who live like beasts in the forests4
 ,we cannot imagine that they can have  
ever had any memorable event to transmit
 to posterity1 nor1 if ever they had    
had1 that they could have invented the  
means4 ,nor can it be conceived that    
this country1 with its present aspect1  
ever possessed more civilized           
inhabitants4 ,the rigor of the climate  
and the barrenness of the land have     
destined it for the retreat of a few    
miserable wretches1 who know no other4  
,it seems1 therefore1 that the          
inscription must have been cut at a     
period when the country was situated in 
a different climate1 and before some one

 of those great revolutions which1 we   
cannot doubt1 have taken place on our   
globe4 ,the position that the earth's   
axis holds at present with respect to   
the ecliptic1 occasions ,lapland to     
receive the sun's rays very obliquely3  
it is therefore condemned to a long     
winter1 adverse to man1 as well as to   
all the productions of nature4 ,no great
 movement1 possibly1 in the heavens was 
necessary1 however1 to cause all its    
misfortunes4 ,these regions may formerly
 have been those on which the sun shone 
most favorably2 the polar circles may   
have been what now the tropics are1 and 
the torrid zone have filled the place   
occupied by the temperate4 ,pretty well1
 ,monsieur1 for a philosopher6 ,the     
various attempts made to unriddle the   
real history of graphic granite are1    
however1 scarce less curious than the   
speculations connected with what may be 
termed its romance4 ,it seems to be     
generally held1 since the days of old   
,hutton1 who1 in his ,theory of the     

,earth1 discussed the subject with his  
usual ingenuity1 that the feldspathic   
basis of the stone first crystallized1  
leaving interstices between the         
crystals1 partaking of a certain        
regularity of form1--a consequence of   
the regularity of the crystals          
themselves1--and of a certain           
irregularity from the eccentric         
dispositions which these manifest in    
their position and relations to each    
other2 and that these interstices1 being
 afterwards filled up with quartz1 form 
the characters of the rock1--characters 
partaking enough of the first element of
 regularity to present their peculiar   
graphic appearance1 and enough of the   
second element of irregularity to       
exhibit forms of an alphabet-like       
variety of outline4 ,the chemist1       
however1 in cross-questioning the       
explanation1 has his puzzle to propound 
regarding it4 ,quartz1 he says1 being   
considerably less fusible than feldspar1
 would naturally consolidate first1 and 

so would give form to the more fusible  
substance1 instead of deriving form from
 it4 ,on what principle1 then1 is it    
that1 reversing its ordinary character1 
it should have been the last of the two 
substances to consolidate in the graphic
 granite8--a query to which there seems 
to be no direct reply1 but which as     
little affects the fact that it was the 
substance which last consolidated1 and  
which took form from the other1 as the  
decision of the learned ,strasburgers1  
which determined the impossibility of   
the long nose in ,slawkenbergius's      
,tale1 affected the actual existence of 
that remarkable feature4 ,it happens to 
be1 notwithstanding your objection1 said
 the controversialists on the pro-nose  
side of the question4 ,but it ought not1
 replied their opponents4  ,the rain    
again returned as ,i was engaged in     
examining the graphic granite of the    
,portsoy vein2 the breeze from the sea  
heightened into a gale1 that soon       
fringed the coast with a broad border of

 foam2 and ,i entered the town1 which   
looked but indifferently well in its    
gray dishabille of haze and spray1      
tolerably wet and worn1 with but the    
prospect before me of being             
weather-bound for the rest of the day4  
,i found an old-fashioned inn1 kept by  
somewhat old-fashioned people1 who had  
lately come from the country to open a  
public2 and ensconced myself by the     
fireside1 in a huge many-windowed room1 
that must have witnessed the county     
dinners of at least a century ago4 ,soon
 wearying1 however1 of hearing the rain 
beating mad-like ratans upon the panes1 
and availing myself of a comparatively  
lucid interval1 ,i sallied out1 wrapped 
up in my plaid1 to examine the          
serpentine beds in the neighborhood1    
which produce what is so extensively    
known as the ,portsoy marble4 ,the beds 
or veins of this substance1--for it is  
still a moot point whether they occur   
here as mere insulated masses of        
contemporary origin with the primary    

formations which surround them1 or as   
,plutonic dykes injected into fissures  
at a later period1--are of very         
considerable extent1 one of them        
measuring about twenty-five yards       
across1 and another considerably more   
than a quarter of a mile2 and1 had they 
but the solidity of the true marbles1   
they would scarce fail to be regarded as
 valuable quarries of a highly          
ornamental stone1 admirably suited for  
the interior decorations of the         
architect4 ,but they are unluckily what 
the quarrier would term                 
rubbly1--traversed by an infinity of    
cracks and fissures2 and it is rare     
indeed to find a continuous mass out of 
which a chimney-jamb or lintel could be 
fashioned4 ,the serpentine was wrought  
here considerably more than a century   
and a half ago1 and exported to ,france 
for the magnificent ,palace of          
,versailles2 which1 though regarded by  
the ,french nation1 says ,voltaire1 as a
 favorite without merit1 ,louis the     

,fourteenth persisted at the time in    
lavishly beautifying1 and looked as for 
abroad as ,portsoy for materials with   
which to adorn it4 ,i have1 however1    
seen it stated that the greater part of 
a ship's cargo1 brought afterwards to   
,paris on speculation1 was suffered to  
lie unwrought for years in the          
stone-dealer's yard1 and was ultimately 
disposed of as rubbish1--a consequence1 
probably1 of its unfitness1 from its    
shaky texture1 for ornamental purposes  
on a large scale1 though for ornaments  
of the smaller kind1 such as boxes1     
vases1 and plates1 it has been          
pronounced unrivalled4 ,at ,zoeblitz1 in
 ,upper ,saxony1 says ,professor        
,jamieson1 several hundred people are   
employed in quarrying1 cutting1 turning1
 and polishing the serpentine which     
occurs in that neighborhood2 and the    
various articles into which it is       
manufactured are carried all over       
,germany4 ,the serpentine of ,portsoy1  
he adds1 is1 however1 far superior to   

that of ,zoeblitz1 in color1 hardness1  
and transparency1 and1 when cut1 is very
 beautiful4  ,it is really a pretty     
stone2 and1 bad as the evening was1 it  
was by no means one of the worst of     
evenings for seeing it to advantage in  
situ1 or among the rolled pebbles on the
 shore4 ,the varnish-like gloss of the  
wet imparted to the undressed masses all
 the effect of polish1 and brought out  
in their proper variegations of color1  
every cloud1 streak1 and vein4 ,viewed  
in the mass1 the general hue is green2  
so much so1 that an insulated stack1    
which stands abreast of one of the beds1
 a stone-cast in the sea1 has greatly   
the appearance1 at a little distance1 of
 an immense mass of verdigris4 ,but red1
 gray1 and brown are also prevailing    
colors in the rock2 occasional veins and
 blotches of white give lightness to the
 darker portions2 and veins of hematitic
 and deep umbry tints1 variety to the   
portions that are lighter4 ,the greens  
vary from the palest olive to the       

deepest black-green of the mineralogist2
 the reds and browns1 from blood-red to 
dark chocolate1 and from wood-brown to  
brownish-black2 and1 thus various in    
shade1 they occur in almost every       
possible variety of combination and     
form1--dotted1 spotted1 clouded1        
veined1--so that each separate pebble on
 the shore seems the representative of a
 rock different from the rocks          
represented by almost all the others4   
,though not much of a mineralogist1 ,i  
could have spent considerably more time 
than the weather permitted me to employ 
this evening1 in admiring the beauties  
of this beach of marbles1 or rather1--as
 the real name1 derived from those      
gorgeous1 many-colored cloudings1 that  
impart a terrible splendor to the skins 
of the snake and viper family1 is not   
only the more correct1 but also the more
 poetical of the two1--this beach of    
serpentines4 ,i had1 however1 to        
compromise matters between the fierce   
wind and rain and the pretty rocks and  

pebbles1 by adjourning to the workshop  
of the ,portsoy lapidary1 ,mr4 ,clark1  
and examining under cover his polished  
specimens1 of which ,i purchased for a  
few shillings a characteristic and      
elegant little set4 ,portsoy is         
peculiarly rich in minerals2 and hence  
it reckons among its mechanics of the   
ordinary class1 what perhaps no other   
village in ,scotland of the same size   
and population possesses1--a skilful    
lapidary4 ,mr4 ,clark's collection of   
the graphic granites1 serpentines1 and  
talcose and mica schists1 of the        
district1 with their associated         
minerals1 such as schorl1 talc1         
asbestos1 amianthus1 mountain cork1     
steatite1 and schiller spar1 will be    
found eminently worthy a visit by the   
passing traveller4  ,i made several     
inquiries in the village1 though not1 as
 it proved1 in the right direction1     
regarding a poor old lady1 several years
 dead1 of whom ,i had known a very      
little considerably more than a quarter 

of a century before1 and whose grave ,i 
would have visited1 bad as the night    
was1 had ,i met any one who could have  
pointed it out to me4 ,but ungrateful   
,portsoy seemed to have forgotten poor  
,miss ,bond1 who1 in all her printed    
letters and little stories1 so rarely   
forgot it4 ,have any of my readers ever 
seen the work 7in two slim volumes71    
,letters of a ,village ,governess1      
published in #ahad by ,elizabeth ,bond1 
and dedicated to ,sir ,walter ,scott8   
,if not1 and should they chance to see1 
as ,i lately did1 a copy on a stall     
7with uncut leaves1 alas6 and selling   
dog cheap71 they might possibly do worse
 things than buy it4#ab  ,with better   
weather ,i could have spent a day or two
 very agreeably in ,portsoy and its     
neighborhood2 but the rain dashed       
unceasingly1 and made exploration under 
the cover of the umbrella somewhat      
resemble that of a sea-bottom under     
cover of the diving-bell4 ,i could see  
but little at a time1 and the little    

imperfectly4 ,miss ,bond1 in her        
,letters1 refers1 in her light1 pleasing
 style1 to what in more favorable       
circumstances might be seen4 ,my troop  
of light infantry1 she says1 keeps me so
 well employed here during the day1 that
 the silence and repose of the evening  
is very delightful4 ,in fine weather ,i 
walk by the sea-side1 and scramble among
 the rugged rocks1 many of which are    
inaccessible to human feet1 forming a   
fine retreat for foxes4 ,these animals  
often may be seen from the heights1     
sporting with their cubs in perfect     
safety4 ,this day ,i went to see the    
works of an old virtuoso1 who turns in  
marble1 or rather granite serpentine all
 kinds of chimney-piece ornaments1      
rings1 ear-rings1 etc4 ,several         
specimens of his work1 which must have  
cost him a vast deal of trouble1 ,i     
thought very beautiful4 ,it was in this 
neighborhood that the celebrated        
,ferguson spent so much of his time4    
,the globular stones on the gate of     

,durn are still to be seen1 on which he 
mapped out the figuring of the          
terrestrial and celestial globes4 ,i was
 told it was forbidden ground to        
approach the premises of ,durn2 but ,i  
could not resist the temptation of      
visiting the spot where the young       
philosopher had shown such early proofs 
of his genius2 and ,i accordingly paid  
the forfeit of an impertinent1 for the  
gentleman who resides there caught the  
prowler1 and in genteel terms bade her  
go about her business1 and never return4
 ,how ungracious6 ,she was doing no     
harm4  ,the morning arose as gloomily as
 the evening had fallen2 and ,i walked  
on in the rain to ,cullen1 fully        
disposed to sympathize by the way with  
the hardy ,byron1--he of the            
,narrative1--who1 from his ill-luck in  
weather1 went among his sailors by the  
name of ,foul-weather ,jack4 ,in the    
sandy bay of ,cullen1 where the road1   
after inflecting inland for some five or
 six miles1 comes again upon the sea1 ,i

 found the surf charging home in long   
white lines six waves deep1--   ,each   
stepping where his comrade stood1  ,the 
instant that he fell4  ,the appearance  
was such as to impart no inadequate idea
 of the vast attritive power of ocean in
 wearing down the land4 ,when pausing   
for a little abreast of the fishing     
village1 partially sheltered by an old  
boat1 to mark the fierce turmoil1 it    
suddenly occurred to me1--as the tempest
 weltered around reef and skerry1 and   
roared wildly1 mile after mile1 along   
the beach1--that the day and night were 
now just equal1 and that it was the     
customary equinoctial storm that had    
broken out to accompany me on my        
journey4 ,and so1 calculating on a few  
days more of it1 instead of waiting on  
in the hope of a fair afternoon to      
examine the outlier of ,old ,red which  
occurs in the neighborhood of ,cullen1  
,i was content to see at a distance its 
mural-sided cliffs rising like broken   
walls through the flat sand2 and1 taking

 the road for ,fochabers1 with the      
intention of leaving exploration till   
fairer weather set in1 ,i resolved on   
posting straight on1 to join my         
relatives on the opposite side of the   
,frith4 ,the deep-red color of the      
boulder-clay1 as exhibited by the       
way-side1 in the water-courses and the  
water1--for every runnel was tumbling   
down big and turbid with the            
rains1--intimated1 when1 after leaving  
,cullen some six or seven miles behind  
me1 ,i passed from a bare moory region  
of quartz rock into a region of woods   
and fields1 that ,i was again upon my   
ancient acquaintance1 the ,old ,red     
,sandstone4 ,and the section furnished  
by the ,burn of ,tynet showed me shortly
 after that the intimation was a correct
 one1 and how generally it may be laid  
down as a rule1 that at least the more  
impalpable portions of the boulder-clay 
are derived from the rocks on which it  
rests4 ,the ichthyolite beds appear in  
the course of the burn4 ,they have      

furnished several good specimens1--among
 the others1 the specimen of ,coccosteus
 figured by ,mr4 ,patrick ,duff in his  
,sketches of the ,geology of ,moray2 and
 they are1 besides1 curious1 as being   
the first to exhibit to the traveller   
who explores from ,gamrie westwards1    
that peculiar style of coloring which   
characterizes the ,old ,red ichthyolites
 of the shires of ,moray and ,nairn1 and
 which differs so strikingly from the   
more sombre style exhibited by the other
 ichthyolites of ,banffshire1 with those
 of ,cromarty1 ,ross1 ,caithness1 and   
,orkney4 ,instead of bearing1 like      
these1 one uniform hue1 as if deeply    
shaded with ,indian ink1 they are       
gorgeously attired1 especially when     
newly laid open1 in white1 red1 purple1 
and blue4 ,the day1 however1 was        
ill-suited for fishing ,pterichthyes and
 ,osteolepi out of the ,tynet3 the red  
water was roaring from bank to brae2    
here eddying along the half-submerged   
furze1--there tearing down the          

boulder-days in raw1 red land-slips2 and
 so1 casting but one eager glance at the
 bed where the fish lay1 ,i travelled   
on1 and entered the tall woods to the   
east of ,fochabers4 ,the rain ceased for
 a time2 and ,i met in the woods an old 
pensioner1 who had been evidently       
weather-bound in some public-house1 and 
had now taken the opportunity of the    
fair interval to stagger to his         
dwelling4 ,he was eminently1 exuberantly
 happy1--there could not be two opinions
 on that head1--full of all manner of   
bright sunshiny thoughts and            
imaginations1 rendered just a little    
tremulous and uncertain by the          
summer-heat exhalations of the imbibed  
moisture1 like distant objects in a hot 
noonday landscape in ,july seen through 
volumes of rising vapor2 and a sheep's  
head and trotters1 which he carried     
under his arm1 was1 ,i saw1 to serve as 
a peace-offering to his wife at home4   
,true1 he had been taking a dram1 but he
 was mindful of the family for all that4

 ,he confronted me with the air of an   
old acquaintance2 gave the military     
salute2 and then1 laying hold of a      
corner of my plaid with his thumb and   
forefinger1--,i know you1 he said1 ,i   
know your kind well2 ye're a            
,highland-,donald4 ,od1 ,i've seen ye in
 the thick o't4 ,ye're reugh fellows    
when ye're bluid's up6 ,he had taken me 
for a grenadier of the #db;d2 and ,i    
lacked the moral courage to undeceive   
him4 ,i met nothing further on my way   
worthy of record1 save and except a     
sheep's trotter1 dropped by the old     
pensioner in one of his zig-zaggings to 
the extreme left2 but having no         
particular use for the trotter at the   
time and in the circumstances1 ,i left  
it to benefit the next passer-by4 ,i    
finished my journey of eighteen miles in
 capital style1 and was within five     
minutes' walk of ,fochabers when the    
horn of the mail-guard was sounding up  
the street4 ,and1 entering the village1 
,i found the vehicle standing opposite  

the inn door1 minus the horses4  ,the   
insides and outsides were sitting down  
to dinner together as ,i entered the    
inn2 and ,i felt1 after my long walk1   
that it would be rather an agreeable    
matter to join with them4 ,but in the   
hope of meeting my old friend ,mr4      
,joss1 ,i requested to be shown1 not    
into the passengers' room1 but into that
 of the coachman and guard2 and with    
them ,i dined4 ,it so chanced1 however1 
that ,mr4 ,joss was not out that day2   
and the man in the red long coat was a  
stranger whom ,i had never seen before4 
,i inquired of him regarding ,mr4       
,joss1--one of perhaps the most         
remarkable mail-guards in ,europe4 ,i   
have at least never heard of another    
who1 like him1 amuses his leisure on the
 coach-top with the ,principia of       
,newton1 and understands it4 ,and the   
man1 drawing his inference from the     
interest in ,mr4 ,joss which my queries 
evinced1 asked me whether ,i myself was 
not a coach-guard4 ,no1 ,i rather       

thoughtlessly replied1 ,i am not a      
coach-guard4 ,half a minute's           
consideration1 however1 led me to doubt 
whether ,i had given the right answer4  
,i am not sure1 ,i said to myself1 on   
second thoughts1 but the man has cut    
pretty fairly on the point2--,i daresay 
,i am a sort of coach-guard4 ,i have to 
mount my twice-a-week coach in all      
weathers1 like any mail-guard among them
 all2 ,i have to start at the appointed 
hour1 whether the vehicle be empty or   
full2 ,i have to keep a sharp eye on the
 opposition coaches2 ,i am responsible1 
like any other mail-guard1 for all the  
parcels carried1 however little ,i may  
have had to do with the making of them  
up2 ,i have always to keep my           
blunderbuss full charged to the         
muzzle1--not wishing harm to any one1   
but bound in duty to let drive at all   
and sundry who would make war upon the  
passengers1 or attempt running the      
conveyance off the road2 and1 finally1  
as my friend ,mr4 ,joss takes the       

,principia to his coach-top1 ,i take    
pockets full of fossils to the top of   
mine1 and amuse myself in fine days by  
working out1 as ,i best can1 the        
problems which they furnish4 ,yes1 ,i   
rather think ,i am a coach-guard4 ,and  
so1 taking my seat beside my red-coated 
brother1 who had guessed the true nature
 of my occupation so much more shrewdly 
than myself1 ,i rode on to ,elgin1 where
 ,i passed the night4  ,it is difficult 
to arrange in the mind the geologic     
formations of ,banffshire in their      
character as a series of deposits4 ,the 
pages of the stony record which the     
county composes1 like those of an       
unskilfully-folded pamphlet1 have been  
strangely mixed together1 so that page  
last succeeds in some places to page    
first1 and1 of the intermediate pages1  
some appear at the beginning of the     
work1 and some at the end4 ,it is not   
until we reach the western confines of  
the county1 some two or three miles     
short of the river ,spey1 its terminal  

boundary in this direction1 that we find
 the beds comparatively little          
disturbed1 and arranged chronologically 
in their original places4 ,in the       
eastern and southern parts of the shire1
 rocks widely separated by the date of  
their formation have been set down side 
by side in patches1 occasionally of but 
inconsiderable extent4 ,now the         
traveller passes over a district of     
grauwacke1 now over a re-formation of   
the ,lias2 anon he finds himself on a   
primary limestone1--gneiss1 syenite1    
clay-slate1 or quartz-rock2 and yet anon
 amid the fossils of some outlier of the
 ,old ,red4 ,the geological map of the  
county is1 like ,joseph's coat1 of many 
colors4 ,i remember seeing1 when a boy1 
more years ago than ,i am inclined to   
specify1 some workmen engaged in pulling
 down what had been a house-painter's   
shop1 a full century before4 ,the       
painter had been in the somewhat        
slovenly habit of cleaning his brushes  
by rubbing them against a hard-cast     

wall1 which was covered1 in consequence1
 by a many-colored layer of paint1 a    
full half-inch in thickness1 and as hard
 as a stone4 ,taking a little bit home  
with me1 ,i polished it by rubbing the  
upper surface smooth2 and1 lo6 a        
geological map4 ,the strata of variously
 hued pigment1 spread originally over   
the surface of the hard-cast wall1 were 
cut open1 by the denudation of the      
grindstone1 into all manner of fantastic
 forms1 and seemed thrown into all sorts
 of strange neighborhoods4 ,the map     
lacked merely the additional perplexity 
of a few bold faults1 with here and     
there a decided dike1 in order to render
 it on a small scale a sort of miniature
 transcript of the geology of ,banff2   
and ,i have very frequently found my    
thoughts reverting to it1 in connection 
with deposits of this broken character4 
,on a rough hard-cast basis of granite  
,i have laid down in imagination1 as if 
by way of priming1 coat after coat of   
the primary rocks1--gneiss1 and         

stratified hornblend1 and mica-schist1  
and quartz-rock1 and day-slate2 and     
then1 after breaking the coatings well  
up1 and rubbing them well down1 and so  
spoiling and crumpling up the work as to
 make their original order considerably 
a puzzle1 ,i have begun anew to paint   
over the rough surface with thick       
coatings of grauwacke and               
grauwacke-slate4 ,when this part of the 
operation was completed1 ,i have again  
begun to break up and grind down1--here 
letting a tract of grauwacke sink into  
the broken primary1--there wearing it   
off the surface altogether1--yonder     
elevating the original granitic         
hard-cast till it rose over all the     
coatings1 ,primary and ,palaeozoic4 ,and
 then ,i have begun to paint yet a third
 time with thick ,old ,red ,sandstone   
pigment2 and yet again to break up and  
wear down1--here to insert a tenon of   
the ,old ,red deep into a mortise of the
 grauwacke1 as at ,gamrie1--there to    
dovetail it into the clay-slate1 as at  

,tomantoul1--yonder1 after laying it    
across the upturned quartz-rock1 as at  
,cullen1 to rub by much the greater part
 of it away again1 leaving but mere     
remainder-patches and fragments1 to mark
 where it had been4 ,lastly1 if ,i had  
none of the superior ,palaeozoic or     
,secondary formations to deal with1 ,i  
have brushed over the whole1 by way of  
finish1 with the variously-derived      
coatings of the superficial deposits2   
and thus1 as ,i have said1 ,i have often
 completed1 in idea1 after the chance   
suggestion of the old painter's shop1 my
 portable models of the geology of      
disturbed districts like the ,banffshire
 one4 ,the deposits of ,moray are       
greatly less broken4 ,denudation has    
partially worn them down2 but they seem 
to have almost wholly escaped the       
previous crumpling process4             
,,chapter ,,iv4       ,yellow-hued      
,houses ,of ,elgin--,geology of the     
,country indicated by      the coloring 
of the ,stone ,houses--,fossils of ,old 

,red north of the      ,grampians       
different from those of ,old ,red       
south--,geologic      ,formations at    
,linksfield difficult to be             
understood--,ganoid ,scales      of the 
,wealden--,sudden ,reaction1 from       
complex to simple1 in the      ,scales  
of ,fishes--,pore-covered               
,scales--,extraordinary amount of       
,design exhibited in ,ancient ,ganoid   
,scales--,holoptychius ,scale           
illustrated by ,cromwell's fluted       
pot--,patrick ,duff's ,geological       
,collection--,elgin ,museum--,fishes of 
the ,ganges--,armature of ,ancient      
,fishes--,compensatory ,defences--,the  
,hermit-crab--,spines of the            
,pimelodi--,ride to                     
,campbelton--,theories of the formation 
of      ,ardersier and ,fortrose        
,promontories--,tradition of their      
construction by the ,wizard1 ,michael   
,scott--,a ,region of ,legendary        
,lore4   ,the prevailing yellow hue of  
the ,elgin houses strikes the eye of the

 geologist who has travelled northwards 
from the ,frith of ,forth4 ,he takes    
leave of a similar stone at             
,cupar-,fife1--a warmly-tinted yellow   
sandstone1 peculiarly well-suited for   
giving effect to architectural ornament2
 and after passing along the deep-red   
sandstone houses of the shires of ,angus
 and ,kincardine1 and the gneiss1       
granite1 hyperstene1 and mica-schist    
houses of ,aberdeen and ,banff shires1  
he again finds houses of a deep red on  
crossing the ,spey1 and houses of a warm
 yellow tint on reaching                
,elgin1--geologically the ,cupar-,fife  
of the north4 ,and the story that the   
colored buildings tell him is1 that he  
has been passing1 though by a somewhat  
circuitous route of a hundred and fifty 
miles1 over an anticlinal geological    
section1--down in the scale till he     
reached ,aberdeen and had gone a little 
beyond it1 and then up again1 until at  
,elgin he arrives at the same superior  
yellow bed of ,old ,red ,sandstone which

 he had quitted at ,cupar-,fife4 ,both  
beds contain the same organisms4 ,the   
,holoptychius of ,dura ,den1 near       
,cupar1 must have sprung from the same  
original as the ,holoptychius of the    
,hospital and ,bishop-,mill quarries    
near ,elgin2 and it seems not improbable
 that the two beds1 thus identical in   
their character and contents1 may have  
existed1 ere the upheaval of the        
,grampians broke their continuity1 as an
 extended deposit1 at the bottom of the 
same sea4 ,but with this last and newest
 of the formations of the ,old ,red     
,sandstone the identity of the deposits 
to the south and north ceases4 ,the     
strata which in the south overlie the   
yellow bed of the ,holoptychius         
represent the ,carboniferous period1 the
 overlying strata in the north represent
 the ,oolitic one4 ,on the one side the 
miner sinks his shaft1 and finds a true 
coal1 composed of the ,stigmaria1       
,calamites1 ,club-mosses1 ,ferns1 and   
,araucarians of the ,palaeozoic era2 he 

sinks his shaft on the other side1 and  
finds but thin seams of an imperfect    
lignite1 composed of the ,cycadeae1     
,pines1 ,sphenopteri1 and ,clathraria of
 the ,secondary period4 ,the flora which
 found its subsoil in the ,old ,red     
,sandstone north of the ,grampians1     
belonged to a scene of things so much   
more modern than the flora which found  
its subsoil in the ,old ,red ,sandstone 
of the south1 that all its productions  
were green and flourishing1 waving      
beside lake1 river1 and sea1 at a time  
when the productions of the other were  
locked up1 as now1 in sand and shale1   
lime and clay1--the dead mummies of ages
 long departed4  ,another thoroughly wet
 morning6 varied only from the morning  
of the preceding day by the absence of  
wind1 and the greater weight of the     
persevering vertical rain1 that leaped  
upwards in myriads of little dancing    
pyramids from the surface of every pool4
 ,i walked out under cover of my        
umbrella1 to renew my acquaintance with 

the outlier of the ,weald at            
,linksfield1 and ascertain what sort of 
section it now presented under the      
quarrying operations of the limeburners4
 ,there was1 however1 little to be seen2
 the bands of green and blue clays1     
alternating with strata of fossiliferous
 limestone1 and layers of a gray shade1 
thickly charged with minute shells of   
,cypris1 were sadly blurred this morning
 by the trail of numerous slips from    
above1 which had fallen during the      
rains1 and softened into mud as they    
rushed downwards athwart the face of the
 quarry3 and the arched band of         
boulder-clay which so mysteriously      
underlies the deposit was1 save in a few
 parts1 wholly covered up by the debris4
 ,the occurrence of the clay here as an 
inferior bed1 with but the cornstone of 
the ,old ,red beneath1 and all the beds 
of the ,weald resting over it1 forms a  
riddle somewhat difficult of solution2  
but it is palpably not reading it aright
 to regard the deposit1 with at least   

one geologist who has written on the    
subject1 as older than the rocks above4 
,it is1 on the contrary1 as a vast      
amount of various and unequivocal       
evidence demonstrates1 incalculably more
 modern2 nay1 we find proof of the fact 
here in that very bed which has been    
instanced as rendering it doubtful2 the 
clay of which the interpolation is      
composed is found to contain fragments1 
not only of the cornstone on which it   
rests1 but also of the ,wealden         
limestone and shales which it underlies4
 ,it forms the mere filling up of a     
flat-roofed cavern1 or rather of two    
flat-roofed caverns1--for the limestone 
roof dipped in the centre to the        
cornstone floor1--which1 previous to the
 times of the boulder-clay1 had lain    
open in what was then1 as now1 an       
old-world deposit1 charged with long    
extinct organisms1 but which1 during the
 iceberg period1 was penetrated and     
occupied by the clay1 as run lime       
penetrates and occupies the interstices 

of a dry-stone wall4 ,it was no day for 
gathering fossils4 ,i saw a few ganoid  
scales1 washed by the rain from the     
investing rubbish1 glittering on        
fragments of the limestone1 with a few  
of the characteristic shells of the     
deposit1 chiefly ,unionidae2 but nothing
 worth bringing away4 ,the adhesive clay
 of the ,weald1 widely scattered by the 
workmen1 and wrought into mortar by the 
beating rains1 made it a matter of some 
difficulty for the struggling foot to   
retain the shoe1 and1 sticking to my    
soles by pounds at a time1 rendered me  
obnoxious to the old ,english nickname  
of rough-footed ,scot4 ,and so1 after   
traversing the heaps1 somewhat like a   
fly in treacle1 ,i had to yield to the  
rain above and the mud beneath1 and to  
return to do in ,elgin what cannot be   
done equally well in almost any other   
town of its size in ,scotland1--pursue  
my geological inquiries under cover4    
,on this1 as on other occasions1 ,i was 
struck by the complex and very various  

forms assumed by the ganoid scales of   
the ,wealden4 ,throughout the ,oolitic  
system generally1 including the ,lias1  
there obtains a singular complexity of  
type in these little glittering tiles of
 enamelled bone1 which contrasts        
strongly with the greatly more simple   
style which obtained among the ganoids  
of the ,palaeozoic period4 ,in many of  
these last1 as in the ,coelacanth       
family1 including the genera            
,holoptychius1 ,asterolepis1 and        
,glyptolepis1 in all their many species1
 with at least one genus of ,dipterians1
 the genus ,dipterus1 the external      
outline and arrangement of scale was as 
simple as in any of the ,cycloid family 
of the present time4 ,like slates on a  
roof1 each single scale covered two1 and
 was covered by two in turn2 and the    
only point of difference which existed  
in relation to the laying down of these 
massy slates of bone1 and the laying    
down of the very thin ones of horn which
 cover fish such as the carp or salmon1 

was1 that in the massier slates1 the    
sides1 or cover1--nicely bevelled1 in   
order to preserve an equability of      
thickness throughout1--were so adjusted1
 that two scales at their edges1 where  
they lay the one over the other1 were   
not thicker than one scale at its       
centre4 ,even in the other ganoids1     
their contemporaries1 such as the       
,osteolepis and ,diplopterus1 where the 
scales were ranged more in the tile     
fashion1 side by side1 there was1 with  
much ingenious carpentry in the fitting1
 a general simplicity of form4 ,it would
 almost appear1 however1 that ere the   
ganoid order reached the times of the   
,weald1 the simple forms had been       
exhausted1 and that nature1 abhorring   
repetition1 and ever stamping upon the  
scales some specific characteristic of  
the creature that bore them1 was obliged
 to have recourse to forms of a more    
complex and involved outline4 ,these    
latter-day scales send out nail-like    
spikes laterally and atop1 to lay hold  

upon their neighbors1 and exhibit in    
their undersides grooves that           
accommodated the nails sent out1 in     
turn1 by their neighbors1 to lay hold   
upon them4 ,their forms1 too1 are       
indescribably various and fantastic4 ,it
 seems curious enough1 that immediately 
after this extremely artificial state of
 things1 if ,i may so speak1 the two    
prevailing orders of the fish of the    
present day1 the ,cycloids and          
,ctenoids1 should have been ushered upon
 the scene1 and more than the original  
simplicity of scale restored4 ,there    
took place a sudden reaction1 from the  
fantastic and the complex to the simple 
and the plain4  ,it is further worthy of
 notice1 that though many of the ganoid 
scales of the ,secondary systems1       
including those of the ,wealden1 glitter
 as brightly in burnished enamel as the 
more splendent scales of the ,old ,red  
,sandstone and ,coal ,measures1 there is
 a curious peculiarity exhibited in the 
structure of many of the older scales of

 the highly enamelled class1 which1 so  
far as ,i have yet seen1 does not extend
 beyond the ,palaeozoic period4 ,the    
outer layer of the scale1 which lies    
over a middle layer of a cellular       
cancellated structure1 and corresponds1 
apparently1 with that scarf-skin which  
in the human subject overlies the rete  
mucosum1 is thickly set over with       
microscopic pores1 funnel-shaped in the 
transverse section1 and which1 examined 
by a good glass1 in the horizontal one  
resemble the puncturings of a sieve4    
,the ,megalichthys of the ,coal         
,measures1 with its various             
carboniferous congeners1 with the genera
 ,diplopterus1 ,dipterus1 and           
,osteolepis of the ,old ,red            
,sandstone1--all brilliantly enamelled  
fish1--are thickly pore-covered4 ,but   
whatever purpose these pores may have   
served1 it seems in the ,secondary      
period to have been otherwise           
accomplished1 if1 indeed1 it continued  
to exist4 ,it is a curious circumstance1

 that in no case do the pores seem to   
pass through the scale4 ,whatever their 
use1 they existed merely as             
communications between the cells of the 
middle cancellated layer and the        
surface4 ,in a fish of the              
,chalk1--,macropoma ,mantelli1--the     
exposed fields of the scales are covered
 over with apparently hollow1 elongated 
cylinders1 as the little tubes in a     
shower-bath cover their round field of  
tin1 save that they lie in a greatly    
flatter angle than the tubes2 but ,i    
know not that1 like the pores of the    
,dipterians and the ,megalichthys1 they 
communicated between the interior of the
 scale and its external surface4 ,their 
structure is at any rate palpably       
different1 and they bear no such        
resemblance to the pores of the human   
skin as that which the ,palaeozoic pores
 present4  ,the amount of design        
exhibited in the scales of some of the  
more ancient ganoids1--design obvious   
enough to be clearly read1--is very     

extraordinary4 ,a single scale of       
,holoptychius ,nobilissimus1--fast      
locked up in its red sandstone          
rock1--laid by1 as it were1 for         
ever1--will be seen1 if we but set      
ourselves to unravel its texture1 to    
form such an instance of nice adaptation
 of means to an end as might of itself  
be sufficient to confound the atheist4  
,let me attempt placing one of these    
scales before the reader1 in its        
character as a flat counter of bone1 of 
a nearly circular form1 an inch and a   
half in diameter1 and an eighth-part of 
an inch in thickness2 and then ask him  
to bethink himself of the various means 
by which he would impart to it the      
greatest possible degree of strength4   
,the human skull consists of two tables 
of solid bone1 an inner and an outer1   
with a spongy cellular substance        
interposed between them1 termed the     
diploe2 and such is the effect of this  
arrangement1 that the blow which would  
fracture a continuous wall of bone has  

its force broken by the spongy          
intermediate layer1 and merely injures  
the outer table1 leaving not            
unfrequently the inner one1 which more  
especially protects the brain1 wholly   
unharmed4 ,now1 such also was the       
arrangement in the scale of the         
,holoptychius ,nobilissimus4 ,it        
consisted of its two well-marked tables 
of solid bone1 corresponding in their   
dermal character1 the outer to the      
cuticle1 the inner to the true skin1 and
 the intermediate cellular layer to the 
rete mucosum2 but bearing an            
unmistakable analogy also1 as a         
mechanical contrivance1 to the two      
plates and the diploe of the human      
skull4 ,to the strengthening principle  
of the two tables1 however1 there were  
two other principles added4 ,cromwell1  
when commissioning for a new helmet1 his
 old one being1 as he expresses it1 ill 
set1 ordered his friend to send him a   
fluted pot1 i4e41 a helmet ridged and   
furrowed on the surface1 and suited to  

break1 by its protuberant lines1 the    
force of a blow1 so that the vibrations 
of the stroke would reach the body of   
the metal deadened and flat4 ,now1 the  
outer table of the scale of the         
,holoptychius was a fluted pot4 ,the    
alternate ridges and furrows which      
ornamented its surface served a purpose 
exactly similar with that of the flutes 
and fillets of ,cromwell's helmet4 ,the 
inner table was strengthened on a       
different but not less effective        
principle4 ,the human stomach consists  
of three coats2 and two of these1 the   
outermost or peritoneal coat1 and the   
middle or muscular coat1 are so         
arranged1 that the fibres of the one    
cross at nearly right angles those of   
the other4 ,the violence which would    
tear the compact sides of this important
 organ along the fibres of the outer    
coat1 would be checked by the transverse
 arrangement of the fibres of the middle
 coat1 and vice versa4 ,we find the     
cotton manufacturer weaving some of his 

stronger fabrics on a similar           
plan2--they also are made to consist of 
two coats2 and what is technically      
termed the tear of the upper is so      
disposed that it lies at an angle of    
forty-five degrees with the tear of the 
coat which lies underneath4 ,now1 the   
inner table of the scale of the         
,holoptychius was composed1 on this     
principle1 of various layers or coats1  
arranged the one over the other1 so that
 the fibres of each lay at right angles 
with the fibres of the others in        
immediate contact with it4 ,in the inner
 table of one scale ,i reckon nine of   
these alternating1 variously-disposed   
layers2 so that any application of      
violence1 which1 in the language of the 
lath-splitter1 would run lengthwise     
along the grain of four of them1 would  
be checked by the cross grain in five4  
,in other words1 the line of the tear in
 five of the layers was ranged at right 
angles with the line of the tear in     
four4 ,there were thus in a single      

scale1 in order to secure the greatest  
possible amount of strength1--and who   
can say what other purposes may have    
been secured besides8--three distinct   
principles embodied1--the principle of  
the two tables and diploe of the human  
skull1--the principle of the variously  
arranged coats of the human             
stomach1--and the principle of ,oliver  
,cromwell's fluted pot4 ,there have been
 elaborate treatises written on those   
ornate flooring-tiles of the classical  
and middle ages1 that are occasionally  
dug up by the antiquary amid monastic   
ruins1 or on the sites of old ,roman    
stations4 ,but did any of them ever tell
 a story half so instructive or so      
strange as that told by the incalculably
 more ancient ganoid tiles of the       
,palaeozoic and ,secondary periods8  ,i 
called1 on my way back from ,linksfield1
 upon my old friend ,mr4 ,patrick ,duff1
 and was introduced once more to his    
exquisite collection1 with its unique   
ichthyolites of at least two genera of  

fishes of the ,old ,red1--the           
,stagonolepis and ,placothorax of       
,agassiz1--which up to the present time 
are to be seen nowhere else2 and various
 other fine specimens of rare species1  
which1 having sat for their portraits1  
have their forms preserved in the great 
work of the naturalist of ,neufchatel4  
,he showed me1 with some triumph1 one of
 his later acquisitions1--a fine        
specimen of ,holoptychius from the upper
 yellow sandstone of ,bishop-,mill1     
which exhibits the dorsal ridge covered 
with a line of large overlapping scales1
 not at all unlike those overlapping    
plates which cover the tail of the      
lobster2 for which1 by the way1 they    
were mistaken by the workman who first  
laid the fossil open4 ,i examined1 too1 
with some interest1 fragments of a      
gigantic species of ,pterichthys1       
belonging to an inferior division of the
 same ,upper ,old ,red formation as the 
yellow stone1 designated by ,agassiz    
,pterichthys major1 which must have     

attained to at least thrice the size1   
linearly1 of even its bulkier congeners 
of the ,lower formation of the          
,coccosteus4 ,after examining many a    
drawer1 stored1 from the deposits of the
 neighborhood1 with characteristic      
fossils of the ,lias1 the ,weald1 and   
the ,oolite1 and of the ,upper and      
,lower ,old ,red1 we set out together to
 expatiate amid the treasures of the    
,town ,museum4  ,among other recent     
additions to the ,museum1 there is an   
interesting set of the fishes of the    
,ganges1 the donation of a gentleman    
long resident in ,india1 to which ,mr4  
,duff called my attention1 as           
illustrative1 in some of the specimens1 
of the more characteristic ichthyolites 
of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,one       
numerous family1 the ,pimelodi1         
abundantly represented in the ,gangetic 
region1 in not only the rivers1 but also
 the ponds1 tanks1 and estuaries of the 
district1 is certainly worthy the       
careful study of the geologist4 ,it     

approaches nearer1 in some of its more  
strongly-marked genera1 to the          
,coccosteus of the ,lower ,old ,red1    
than any other tribe of existing fishes 
which ,i have yet seen4 ,the body of the
 ,pimelodus1 from the anterior dorsal   
downwards1 is as naked as that of the   
eel2 whereas the head1 and in several of
 the species the back1 is armed with    
strong plates of naked bone1 curiously  
fretted1 as in many of the ichthyolites 
of the ,lower1 and more especially of   
the ,upper ,old ,red ,sandstone1 into   
ridges of confluent tubercles1 that     
radiate from the centre to the edges of 
the plates4 ,the dorsal plate1 too1 when
 detached1 as in many of the species1   
from the plates of the head1 bears upon 
its inner side a strong central ridge1  
that deepens as it descends1 till it    
abruptly terminates a little short of   
the termination of the plate1 exactly as
 in the dorsal plate of ,coccosteus1    
which sunk its central ridge deep into  
the back of the animal4 ,the point of   

resemblance to be mainly noticed1       
however1 is the contrast furnished by   
the powerful armature of the head and   
back1 with the unprotected nakedness of 
the posterior portions of the           
creature2--a point specially noticeable 
in the ,coccosteus1 and apparent also1  
though in a lesser degree1 in some of   
the other genera of the ,old ,red1 such 
as the ,pterichthyes and ,asterolepides4
 ,from the snout of the ,coccosteus down
 to the posterior termination of the    
dorsal plate1 the creature was cased in 
strong armor1 the plates of which remain
 as freshly preserved in the ancient    
rocks of the country as those of the    
,pimelodi of the ,ganges on the shelves 
of the ,elgin ,museum2 but from the     
pointed termination of the plate        
immediately over the dorsal fin1 to the 
tail1 comprising more than one half the 
entire length of the animal1 all seems  
to have been exposed1 without the       
protection of even a scale1 and there   
survives in the better specimens only   

the internal skeleton of the fish and   
the ray-bones of the fins4 ,it was      
armed1 like a ,french dragoon1 with a   
strong helmet and a short cuirass2 and  
so we find its remains in the state in  
which those of some of the soldiers of  
,napoleon's old guard1 that had been    
committed unstripped to the earth1 may  
be dug up in the future on the fatal    
field of ,borodino1 or along the banks  
of the ,dwina or the ,wap4 ,the cuirass 
lies still attached to the helmet1 but  
we find only the naked skeleton attached
 to the cuirass4 ,the ,pterichthys to   
its strong helmet and cuirass added a   
posterior armature of comparatively     
feeble scales1 as if1 while its upper   
parts were shielded with plate armor1 a 
lighter covering of ring or scale armor 
sufficed for the less vital parts       
beneath4 ,in the ,asterolepis the       
arrangement was somewhat similar1 save  
that the plated cuirass was wanting3 it 
was a strongly helmed warrior in slight 
scale armor2 for the disproportion      

between the strength of the plated      
head-piece and that of the scaly coat   
was still greater than in the           
,pterichthys4 ,the occipital            
star-covered plates are1 in some of the 
larger specimens1 fully three-quarters  
of an inch in thickness1 whereas the    
thickness of the delicately-fretted     
scales rarely exceeds a line4  ,why this
 disproportion between the strength of  
the armature in different parts of the  
same fish should have obtained1 as in   
,pterichthys and ,asterolepis1 or why1  
while one portion of the animal was     
strongly armed1 another portion should  
have been left1 as in ,coccosteus1      
wholly exposed1 cannot of course be     
determined by the mere geologist4 ,his  
rocks present him with but the fact of  
the disproportion1 without accounting   
for it4 ,but the natural history of     
existing fish1 in which1 as in the      
,pimelodi1 there may be detected a      
similar peculiarity of armature1 may    
perhaps throw some light on the mystery4

 ,in ,hamilton's ,fishes of the ,ganges 
,i find but little reference made to the
 instincts and habits of the animals    
described3 their deep-river haunts lie1 
in many cases1 beyond the reach of      
observation2 and of the observations    
actually made1 the descriptive          
naturalist1 intent often on mere        
peculiarities of structure1 is not      
unfrequently too careless4 ,hamilton    
describes the habitats of the various   
,indian species of ,pimelodi1 whether   
brackish estuaries1 ponds1 or rivers1   
but not their characteristic instincts4 
,of the ,silurus1 however1 a genus of   
the same great family1 ,i read elsewhere
 that some of the species1 such as the  
,silurus glanis1 being unwieldy in their
 motions1 do not pursue their prey1     
which consists of small fishes1 but lie 
concealed among the mud1 and seize on   
the chance stragglers that come their   
way4 ,and of the ,pimelodus gulio1 a    
little1 strongly-helmed fish1 with a    
naked body1 ,i was informed by ,mr4     

,duff1 on the authority of the gentleman
 who had presented the specimens to the 
,museum1 that it burrowed in the holes  
of muddy banks1 from which it shot out  
its armed head1 and arrested1 as they   
passed1 the minute animals on which it  
preyed4 ,the animal world is full of    
such compensatory defences3 there is a  
half-suit of armor given to shield half 
the body1 and a wise instinct to protect
 the rest4 ,the ,pholas crispata cannot 
shut its valves so as to protect its    
anterior parts1 without raising them    
from off those parts which lie behind3  
like the ,irishman in the haunted house1
 who attempted lengthening his blanket  
by cutting strips from the top and      
sewing them on to the bottom1 it loses  
at the one end what it gains at the     
other2 but1 hemmed round by the solid   
walls of the recess which it is its     
nature to hollow out for itself in shale
 or stone1 the anterior parts1 though   
uncovered by the shell1 are not exposed4
 ,by closing its valves anteriorly1 it  

shuts the door of its little house1 made
 like that of the coney-folk of         
,scripture1 in the rock2 and then1 of   
the entire cell in which it dwells so   
secure1 what is not shut door is        
impregnable wall4 ,the remark of ,paley1
 that the human animal is the only one  
which is naked1 and the only one which  
can clothe itself1 is by no means quite 
correct4 ,one half the hermit crab is as
 naked as the human animal1 and even    
less fitted for exposure2 for it        
consists of a thin-skinned1 soft1       
unmuscular bag1 filled with delicate    
viscera2 but not even the human animal  
is more skilful in clothing himself in  
the spoils of other animals than the    
hermit crab in wrapping up its naked bag
 in the strong shell of some dead fusus 
or buccinum1 which it carries about with
 it in all its peregrinations1 as at    
once clothes1 armor1 and house4 ,nature 
arms its front1 and it is itself wise   
enough to arm its rear4 ,now1 it seems  
not improbable that the half-armed      

,coccosteus1 a heavy fish1 indifferently
 furnished with fins1 may have burrowed1
 like the recent ,silurus glanis or     
,pimelodus gulio1 in a thick mud1--of   
the existence of which in vast quantity1
 during the times of the ,old ,red      
,sandstone1 the dark ,caithness         
flagstones1 the fetid breccia of        
,strathpeffer1 and the gray stratified  
clays of ,cromarty1 ,moray1 and ,banff1 
unequivocally testify2 and that it may  
have thus not only succeeded in         
capturing many of its light-winged      
contemporaries1 which it would have     
vainly pursued in open sea1 but may have
 been enabled also to present to its    
enemies1 when assailed in turn1 only its
 armed portions1 and to protect its     
unarmed parts in its burrow4 ,it is     
further worthy of notice1 that many of  
the ,pimelodi are furnished with spines1
 not1 like those ichthyodorulites which 
occur so frequently in the older        
,secondary and ,palaeozoic divisions1   
unfinished in appearance at their lower 

extremity1 as if1 like the spines of the
 ancient ,acanthodi1 or those of the    
recent dog-fish 7,spinax acanthias71    
they had been simply embedded in the    
flesh1 but bearing1 like the wings of   
the ,pterichthys1 an articulated aspect4
 ,those of the ,pimelodus rita and      
,pimelodus gagata are of singular       
beauty2 and when the creatures have no  
further use for them1 and the mud of the
 ,ganges has been consolidated into     
shale or baked into flagstone around    
them1 they will make very exquisite     
fossils4 ,a correct drawing of the      
plates and spines of some of the members
 of the ,pimelodi family1 with a portion
 of the internal skeletons1 arranged in 
their proper places1 but divested of    
those more destructible parts to which  
they are attached1 would serve admirably
 to show what strange forms fish not    
greatly removed from the ordinary type  
may assume in the fossil state1 and     
might throw some light on the           
extraordinary appearance assumed1 as    

ichthyolites1 by the old family of the  
,cephalaspians4  ,the geological        
department of the ,elgin ,museum is not 
yet very complete4 ,the private         
collections of the locality1 by         
forestalling1 greatly restrict the      
supply from the rich deposits in the    
neighborhood1 and have an unquestioned  
right to do so4 ,the ,museum contains1  
however1 several interesting organisms4 
,i saw1 among the others1 a specimen of 
,diplopterus1 that showed the form and  
position of the fins of this rather rare
 ichthyolite much better than any of the
 ,morayshire specimens portrayed by     
,agassiz in his great work2 and beside  
it1 one of the two specimens of         
,pterichthys oblongus which he figures1 
and on which he establishes the species4
 ,the other individual1--a ,cromarty    
specimen1--graces my little collection4 
,the gloomy day passed pleasantly in    
deciphering1 with so accomplished a     
geologist as ,mr4 ,duff1 these curious  
hieroglyphics of the old world1 that    

tell such wonderful stories1 and in     
comparing viva voce1 as we were wont to 
do long years before in lengthy         
epistles1 our respective notions        
regarding the true key for laying open  
their more occult meanings4 ,and1 after 
sharing with him in his family dinner1  
,i again took my seat on the mail1 as a 
chill1 raw evening was falling1 and rode
 on1 some six or eight and twenty miles1
 to ,campbelton4 ,the rain pattered     
drearily through the night on my        
bed-room window2 and as frequent        
exposure to the wet had begun to tell on
 a constitution not altogether so strong
 as it had once been1 ,i awakened       
oftener than was quite comfortable1 to  
hear it4 ,the morning1 however1 was dry1
 though gray and sunless2 and1 taking an
 early breakfast at the inn1 ,i         
traversed the flat gravelly points of   
,ardersier and ,fortrose1 that1         
projecting like moles far into the      
,frith1 narrow the intervening ferry to 
considerably less than one-third the    

width which it would present were they  
away4 ,the origin of these long detrital
 promontories1 which form1 when viewed  
from the heights on either side1 so     
peculiar a feature in the landscape1 and
 which1 were they directly opposite1    
instead of being set down a mile awry1  
would shut up the opening altogether1   
has not yet been satisfactorily         
accounted for4 ,one special theory      
assigns their formation to the agency of
 the descending tide1 striking in       
zig-gig style1 in consequence of some   
peculiarity of the coast-line or of the 
bottom1 from side to side of the ,frith1
 and depositing a long trail of sand and
 gravel1 at nearly right angles with the
 beach1 first on the one shore and then 
on the other4 ,but why the tide1 which  
runs in various zig-zag crossings in the
 course of the ,frith1 should have the  
effect here1 and nowhere else1 of       
raising two vast mounds1 each a full    
mile and a quarter in length1 with an   
average breadth of from two to five     

furlongs1 is by no means very apparent4 
,certainly the present tides of the     
,frith could not have formed them1 nor  
could they have been elevated to their  
present average height of ten or twelve 
feet over the flood-line in a sea       
standing at the existing level4 ,if they
 in reality originated in this cause1 it
 must have been ere the latter upheavals
 of the land or recessions of the sea1  
when the great ,caledonian ,valley      
existed as a narrow ocean sound1 swept  
by powerful currents4 ,upon another and 
entirely different hypothesis1 these    
flat promontories have been regarded as 
the remains1 levelled by the waves1 and 
gapped direct in the middle by the tide1
 of a vast transverse morain of the     
great valley1 belonging to the same     
glacial age as the lateral morains some 
ten or fifteen miles higher up1 that    
extend from the immediate neighborhood  
of ,inverness to the mansion-house of   
,dochfour4 ,but this hypothesis1 like   
the other1 is not without its           

difficulties4 ,why1 for instance1 should
 the promontories be a mile awry8 ,there
 is1 however1 yet another mode of       
accounting for their formation1 which ,i
 am not in the least disposed to        
criticise4  ,they were constructed1 says
 tradition1 through the agency of the   
arch-wizard ,michael ,scott4 ,michael   
had called up the hosts of ,faery to    
erect the cathedral of ,elgin and the   
chanonry kirk of ,fortrose1 which they  
completed from foundation to ridge1 each
 in a single night1--committing1 in     
their hurry1 merely the slight mistake  
of locating the building intended for   
,elgin in ,fortrose1 and that intended  
for ,fortrose in ,elgin2 but1 their work
 over and done1 and when the magician   
had no further use for them1 they       
absolutely refused to be laid2 and1 like
 a posse of ,irish laborers thrown out  
of a job1 came thronging round him1     
clamoring for more employment4 ,fearing 
lest he should be torn in pieces1--a    
catastrophe which has not unfrequently  

happened in such circumstances in the   
olden time1 and of which those recent   
philanthropists who engage themselves in
 finding work for the unemployed may    
have perhaps entertained some little    
dread in our own days1--he got rid of   
them for the time by setting them off in
 a body to run a mound across the ,moray
 ,frith from ,fortrose to ,ardersier4   
,toiling hard in the evening of a       
moonlight night1 they had proceeded     
greatly more than two-thirds towards the
 completion of the undertaking1 when a  
luckless ,highlander passing by bade    
,god-speed the work1 and1 by thus       
breaking the charm1 arrested at once and
 forever the construction of the mound1 
and saved the navigation of ,inverness4 
,i stood for a few seconds at the ,burn 
of ,rosemarkie undecided whether ,i     
should take the ,scarfs-,craig road1--a 
break-neck path which runs eastwards    
along the cliffs1 and which1 though the 
rougher1 is the more direct ,cromarty   
line of the two1--or the considerably   

better though longer line of the ,white 
,bog1 which strikes upwards along the   
burn in a westerly direction1 and joins 
the ,cromarty and ,inverness highway on 
the moor of the ,maolbuie4 ,i had got   
into a part of the country where every  
little locality1 and every more striking
 feature in the landscape1 has its      
associated tradition2 and the pause of a
 few moments at the two roads recalled  
to my memory the details of a           
ghost-story1 long regarded in the       
district in which it was best known as  
one of the most authentic of its class1 
but which seems by no means inexplicable
 on natural principles4#ac     ,,chapter
 ,v4       ,rosemarkie and its          
,scaurs--,kaes' ,craig--,a ,jackdaw     
,settlement--,rosemarkie ,kaes and      
,cromarty ,cooties--,the ,danes1      a 
,group of ,excavations--,at ,home in    
,cromarty--,the ,boulder-clay of        
,cromarty begins to tell its story--,one
 of its marked ,scenic                  
,peculiarities--,hints to ,landscape    

,painters--,samuel's ,well--,a          
,chain of ,bogs geologically accounted  
for--,another ,scenic                   
,peculiarity--,ha-has of ,nature's      
digging--,the ,author's earliest        
,field of ,hard ,labor--,picturesque    
,cliff of ,boulder-clay--,scratchings   
on the ,sandstone--,invariable          
,characteristic of true                 
,boulder-clay--,scratchings on ,pebbles 
in the line of the longer               
axis--,illustration from the            
,boulder-clay of ,banff4   ,rosemarkie1 
with its long narrow valley and its red 
abrupt scaurs1#ad is chiefly interesting
 to the geologist for its vast beds of  
the boulder-clay4 ,i am acquainted with 
no other locality in the kingdom where  
this deposit is hollowed into ravines so
 profound1 or presents precipices so    
imposing and lofty4 ,the clay lies      
thickly over most part of the ,black    
,isle and the peninsula of ,easter      
,ross1--both soft sandstone             
districts1--bearing everywhere an       

obvious relation1 as a deposit1 to both 
the form and the conditions of exposure 
of the existing land1--just as the      
accumulated snow of a long-lying        
snow-storm1 exposed to the drifting     
wind1 bears relation to the heights and 
hollows of the tracts which it covers4  
,on the higher eminences the clay forms 
a comparatively thin stratum1 and in not
 a few instances it has been wholly worn
 away2 while on the lower grounds1      
immediately over the old coast line1 and
 in the sides of hollow                 
valleys1--exactly such places as we     
might expect to see the snow occupying  
most deeply after a night of drift1--we 
find it accumulated in vast beds of from
 eighty to an hundred feet in thickness4
 ,one of these occurs in the opening of 
the narrow valley along which my course 
this morning lay1 and is known far and  
wide1--for it forms a marked feature in 
the landscape1 and harbors in its       
recesses a countless multitude of       
jackdaws1--as the ,kaes' ,craig of      

,rosemarkie4 ,it presents the appearance
 of a hill that had been cut sheer      
through the middle from top to base1 and
 exhibits in its abrupt front a broad   
red perpendicular section of at least a 
hundred feet in height1 barred          
transversely by thin layers of sand1 and
 scored vertically by the slow action of
 the rains4 ,originally it must have    
stretched its vanished limb across the  
opening like some huge snow-wreath      
accumulated athwart a frozen rivulet2   
but the incessant sweep of the stream   
that runs through the valley has long   
since amputated and carried it away2 and
 so only half the hill now remains4 ,the
 ,kaes' ,craig resembles in form a lofty
 chalk cliff1 square1 massy1 abrupt1    
with no sloping fillet of vegetation    
bound across its brow1 but precipitous  
direct from the hill-top4 ,the little   
ancient village of ,rosemarkie stretches
 away from its base on the opposite side
 of the stream2 and on its summit and   
along its sides1 groups of chattering   

jackdaws1 each one of them as reflective
 and philosophic as the individual      
immortalized by ,cowper1 look down high 
over the chimneys into the streets4 ,the
 clay presents here1 more than in almost
 any other locality with which ,i am    
acquainted1 the character of a          
stratified deposit2 and the numerous    
bands of sand by which the cliff is     
horizontally streaked from top to bottom
 we find hollowed1 as we approach1 into 
a multitude of circular openings1 like  
shot-holes in an old tower1 which form  
breeding-places for the daw and the     
sand-martin4 ,the biped inhabitants of  
the cliff are greatly more numerous than
 the biped inhabitants of the quiet     
little hamlet below2 and on ,fortrose   
fair-days1 when1 in virtue of an old    
feud1 the ,rosemarkie boys were wont to 
engage in formidable bickers with the   
boys of ,cromarty1 ,i remember1 as one  
of the invading belligerents1 that1 in  
bandying names with them in the fray1 we
 delighted to bestow upon them1 as their

 hereditary sobriquet1 given1 of course1
 in allusion to their feathered         
neighbors1 the designation of the       
,rosemarkie kaes4 ,cromarty1 however1 is
 two-thirds surrounded by the waters of 
a frith abounding in sea-fowl2 and the  
little fellows of ,rosemarkie1 indignant
 at being classed with their kaes1 used 
to designate us with hearty emphasis1 in
 turn1 as the ,cromarty cooties1 i4e41  
coots4  ,a little higher up the valley1 
on the western side1 there occurs in the
 clay what may be termed a group of     
excavations1 composing a piece of       
scenery ruinously broken and dreary1 and
 that bears a specific character of its 
own which scarce any other deposit could
 have exhibited4 ,the excavations are of
 considerable depth and extent1--hollows
 out of which the materials of pyramids 
might have been taken4 ,the precipitous 
sides are fretted by jutting ridges and 
receding inflections1 that present in   
abundance their diversified alternations
 of light and shadow4 ,the steep        

descents form cycloid curves1 that      
flatten at their bases1 and over which  
the ferruginous stratum of mould atop   
projects like a cornice4 ,between       
neighboring excavations there stand up  
dividing walls1 tall and thin as those  
of our city buildings1 and in some cases
 broken at their upper edges into rows  
of sharp pinnacles or inaccessible      
turf-coped turrets2 while at the bottom 
of the hollows1 washed by the runnels   
which1 in the slow lapse of years1 have 
been the architects of the whole1 we    
find cairn-like accumulations of        
water-rolled stones1--the disengaged    
pebbles and boulders of the deposit4    
,the boulders and pebbles project also  
from the steep sides1 at all heights and
 of all sizes1 like the primary masses  
inclosed in our ancient conglomerates1  
when exhibited in wave-worn             
precipices1--forcing upon the mind the  
conclusion that the boulder-clay is     
itself but an unconsolidated            
conglomerate of the later periods1 which

 occupies nearly the same relative      
position to the existing vegetable      
mould1 with all its recent productions1 
that the great conglomerate of the ,old 
,red ,sandstone occupies in relation to 
the lower ichthyolite beds of that      
system1 with their numerous extinct     
organisms4 ,but its buried stones are   
fretted with hieroglyphic inscriptions1 
in the form of strange scratchings and  
polishings1 grooves1 ridges1 and        
furrows1--always associated with the    
boulder-clays1--which those of the more 
ancient conglomerates want1 and which1  
though difficult to read1 seem at length
 to be yielding up the story which they 
record4 ,of this1 however1 more anon4   
,viewed by moonlight1 when the pale red 
of the clay where the beam falls direct 
is relieved by the intense shadows1     
these excavations of the valley of      
,rosemarkie form scenes of strange and  
ghostly wildness3 the projecting1       
buttress-like angles1--the broken       
walls1--the curved inflections1--the    

pointed pinnacles1--the turrets1 with   
their masses of projecting coping1--the 
utter lack of vegetation1 save where the
 heath and the furze rustle far         
above1--all combine to form assemblages 
of dreary ruins1 amid which1 in the     
solitude of night1 one almost expects to
 see spirits walk4 ,these excavations   
have been designated1 from time         
immemorial1 by the neighboring          
town's-people1 as the ,danes2 but       
whether the name be1 as is most         
probable1 merely a corruption of an     
appropriate enough ,saxon word1 the     
dens1 or derived1 as a vague tradition  
is said to testify1 from the ages of    
,danish invasion1 it is not quite the   
part of the geologist to determine4 ,it 
may be worth mentioning1 however1 from  
its bearing on the point1 that there are
 two excavations in the boulder-clay    
near ,cromarty1 one of which has been   
long known by the name of the ,morial's 
,den1 while the other1 greatly smaller  
in size1 rejoices in the double         

diminutive of the ,little ,dennie4 ,for 
an hour or so the ,danes proved         
agreeable though somewhat silent        
companions2 and then1 climbing the      
opposite side of the valley1 ,i gained  
the high road1 and1 walking on to       
,cromarty1 found myself once more among 
the old familiar faces4  ,in a few days 
the storm blew by2 and as the prolonged 
rains had cleared out the deep ravines  
of the district1 and given to the       
boulder-clay in which they are scooped a
 freshness in its section analogous to  
fresh fracture in rocks of harder       
consistency1 ,i availed myself of the   
facilities afforded me in consequence1  
for exploring it once more4 ,it has long
 constituted one of the hardest of the  
many riddles with which our ,scottish   
deposits exercise the patience and      
ingenuity of the geologist4 ,i remember 
a time when1 after passing a day under  
its barren scaurs1 or hid in its        
precipitous ravines1 ,i used to feel in 
the evening as if ,i had been travelling

 under the cloud of night1 and had seen 
nothing4 ,it was a morose and taciturn  
companion1 and had no speculation in it4
 ,i might stand in front of its curved  
precipices1 red1 yellow or gray1        
according to the prevailing average     
color of the rocks on which it rests1   
and mark their water-rolled boulders1 of
 all qualities and sizes1 sticking out  
in bold relief from the surface1 like   
the rock-like protuberances that roughen
 the rustic basements of the architect1 
from the line of the wall2 but ,i had no
 open sesame to form vistas through them
 into the recesses of the past4 ,i saw  
merely the stiff pastry matrix of which 
they are composed1 and the inclosed     
pebbles4 ,but the boulder-clay has of   
late become more sociable2 and1 though  
with much hesitancy and irresolution1   
like old ,mr4 ,spectator on the first   
formal opening of his mouth1--a         
consequence1 doubtless1 in both cases of
 previous habits of silence long        
indulged1--it begins to tell its story4 

,and a most curious story it is4  ,the  
morning was clear1 but just a little    
chill2 and a soft covering of snow1 that
 had fallen during the storm on the flat
 summit of ,ben-,wevis1 and showed its  
extreme tenuity by the paleness of its  
tint of watery blue1 was still          
distinctly visible at the distance of   
full twenty miles4 ,the sun1 low in the 
sky1--for the hour was early1--cast its 
slant rays athwart the prospect1 giving 
to each nearer bank and hillock1 and to 
the more distant protuberances on the   
mountain-sides1 those well-defined      
accompaniments of shadow that serve by  
throwing the minor features of a        
landscape upon the eye in bold relief1  
to impart to it an air of higher finish 
and more careful filling up than it ever
 bears under a more vertical light4 ,i  
took the road which1 leading westward   
from the town towards ,invergordon      
,ferry1 skirts the ,frith on the one    
hand1 and runs immediately under the    
noble escarpment of green bank formed by

 the old coast line on the other4 ,fully
 two-thirds of the entire height of the 
rampart here1 which rises in all about a
 hundred feet over the sea-level1 is    
formed of the boulder-clay2 and ,i am   
acquainted with no locality in which the
 deposit presents more strongly1 for at 
least the first half mile1 one of its   
marked scenic peculiarities4 ,it is     
furrowed vertically on the slope1 as if 
by enormous flutings in the more antique
 ,doric style2 and the ridges by which  
these are separated1--each from a       
hundred to a hundred and fifty feet in  
length1 and from five-and-twenty to     
thirty feet in average height1--resemble
 those burial mounds with which the     
sexton frets the churchyard turf2 with  
this difference1 however1 that they seem
 the burial mounds of giants1 tall and  
bulky as those that of old warred       
against the gods4 ,they are striking    
enough to have caught the eye of the    
children of the place1 and are known    
among them as the ,giants' ,graves4 ,i  

could fain have taken their portrait in 
a calotype this morning1 as they lay    
against the green bank1--their feet to  
the shore1 and their heads on the top of
 the escarpment1--like patients on a    
reclining bed1 and strongly marked1 each
 by its broad bar of yellow light and of
 dark shadow1 like the ebon and ivory   
buttresses of the poet4 ,this little    
vignette1 ,i would have said to the     
landscape painter1 represents the       
boulder-clay1 after its precipitous     
banks--worn down1 by the frosts and     
rains of centuries1 into parallel       
runnels1 that gradually widened into    
these hollow grooves--had sunk into the 
angle of inclination at which the       
disintegrating agents ceased to operate1
 and the green sward covered all up4    
,you must be studying these             
peculiarities of aspect more than ever  
you studied them before4 ,there is a    
time coming when the connoisseur will as
 rigidly demand the specific character  
of the various geologic rocks and       

deposits in your hills1 scaurs1 and     
precipices1 as he now demands specific  
character in your shrubs and trees4  ,it
 is worthy the notice of the young      
geologist1 who has just set himself to  
study the various effects produced on   
the surface of a country by the deposits
 which lie under it1 that for about a   
quarter of a mile or so1 the base of the
 escarpment here is bordered by a line  
of bogs1 that bear in the driest weather
 their mantling of green4 ,they are fed 
with a perennial supply of water1 by a  
range of deep-seated springs1 that come 
bursting out from under the             
boulder-clay2 and one of their number1  
which bears ,i know not why1 the name of
 ,samuel's ,well1 and yields its equable
 flow at an equable temperature1 summer 
and winter1 into a stone trough by the  
way-side1 is not a little prized by the 
town's-people1 and the seamen that cast 
anchor in the opposite roadstead1 for   
the lightness and purity of its water4  
,what is specially worthy of notice in  

the case is1 the very definite beginning
 and ending of the chain of bogs4 ,all  
is dry at the base of the escarpment1 up
 to the point at which they commence2   
and then all is equally dry at the point
 at which they terminate4 ,and of       
exactly the same extent1--beginning     
where the bogs begin1 and ending where  
they end1--we may trace an ancient      
stratum of pure sand1--of considerable  
thickness1 intercalated between the base
 of the clay and the superior surface of
 the ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,it is       
through this permeable sand that the    
profoundly seated springs find their way
 to the surface1--for the clay is       
impermeable2 and where it comes in      
contact with the rock on either side of 
the arenaceous stratum1 the bogs cease4 
,the chain of green bogs is a           
consequence of the stratum of permeable 
sand4 ,i have in vain sought this       
ancient layer of sand1--decidedly of the
 same era with the argillaceous bed     
which overlies it1--for aught organic4  

,a single shell1 so unequivocally of the
 period of the boulder-clay as to occur 
at the base of the deposit1 would be    
worth1 ,i have said1 whole drawerfuls of
 fossils furnished by the better-known  
deposits4 ,but ,i have since seen in    
abundance shells of the boulder-clay4   
,there is another scenic peculiarity of 
the clay1 which the neighborhood of     
,cromarty finely illustrates1 and of    
which my walk this morning furnished    
numerous striking instances4 ,the       
,giants' ,graves--to borrow from the    
children of the place--occur on the     
steep slopes of the old coast line1 or  
in the sides of ravines1 where the clay1
 as ,i have said1 had once presented a  
precipitous front1 but had been         
gradually moulded1 under the attritive  
influences of the elements1 into series 
of alternating ridges and furrows1      
which1 when they had flattened into the 
proper angle1 the green sward covered up
 from further waste4 ,but the deep dells
 and narrow ravines in which many ranges

 of these graves occur are themselves   
peculiarities of the deposit4 ,wherever 
the boulder-clay lies thick and         
continuous1 as in the parish of         
,cromarty1 on a sloping table-land1     
every minute streamlet cuts its way to  
the solid rock at the bottom1 and runs  
through a deep dell1 either softened    
into beauty by the disintegrating       
process1 or with all its precipices     
standing up raw and abrupt over the     
stream4 ,four of these ravines1 known as
 the ,old ,chapel ,burn1 the ,ladies'   
,walk1 the ,morial's ,den1 and the ,red 
,burn1 each of them cutting the         
escarpment of the ancient coast line    
from top to base1 and winding far into  
the interior1 occur in little more than 
a mile's space2 and they lie still more 
thickly farther to the west4 ,these     
dells of the boulder clay1 in their     
lower windings1--for they become        
shallower and tamer as they ascend1 till
 they terminate in the uplands in mere  
drains1 such as a ditcher might excavate

 at the rate of a shilling or two per   
yard1--are eminently picturesque4 ,on   
those gentler slopes where the vegetable
 mould has had time and space to        
accumulate1 we find not a few of the    
finest and tallest trees of the         
district4 ,there is a bosky luxuriance  
in their more sheltered hollows1 well   
known to the schoolboy what time the    
fern begins to pale its fronds1 for     
their store of hips1 sloes1 and         
brambles2 and red over the foliage we   
may see1 ever and anon as we wend       
upwards1 the abrupt frontage of some    
precipitous scaur1 suited to remind the 
geologist1 from its square form and flat
 breadth of surface1 of the cliffs of   
the chalk4 ,when viewed from the sea1 at
 the distance of a few miles1 these     
ravines seem to divide the sloping      
tracts in which they occur into large   
irregular fields1 laid out considerably 
more in accordance with the principles  
of the landscape gardener than the      
stiffly squared rectilinear fields of   

the agriculturist4 ,they are ha-has of  
,nature's digging2 and their bottom and 
sides in this part of the country we    
still find occupied in a few            
cases--though in many more they have    
been ravaged by the wasteful axe--by    
noble forest-hedges1 tall enough to     
overtop1 in at least their middle       
reaches1 the tracts of table-land which 
they divide4  ,i passed1 a little       
farther on1 the quarry of ,old ,red     
,sandstone1 with a huge bank of         
boulder-clay resting over it1 in which  
,i first experienced the evils of hard  
labor1 and first set myself to lessen   
their weight by becoming an observer of 
geological phenomena4 ,it had been      
deserted apparently for many years2 and 
the debris of the clay partially covered
 up1 in a sloping talus1 the frontage of
 rock beneath4 ,old ,red ,sandstone and 
boulder-clay1 a broad bar of each6--such
 was the compound problem which the     
excavation propounded to me when ,i     
first plied the tool in it1--a problem  

equally dark at the time in both its    
parts4 ,i have since got on a very      
little way with the ,old ,red portion of
 the task2 but alas for the boulder-clay
 portion of it6 ,a bar of impenetrable  
shadow has rested long and obstinately  
over the newer deposit2 and ,i scarce   
know whether the light which is at      
length beginning to play on its pebbly  
front be that of the sun or of a        
delusive meteor4 ,but courage1 patient  
hearts6 the boulder-clay will one day   
yield up its secret too4 ,still further 
on by a few hundred yards1 ,i could have
 again found use for the calotype1 in   
transferring to paper the likeness of a 
protuberant picturesque cliff1 which1   
like the ,giants' ,graves1 could have   
belonged1 of all our ,scotch deposits1  
to only the boulder-clay4 ,it stands    
out1 on the steep acclivity of a        
furze-covered bank1 abrupt as a         
precipice of solid rock1 and yet seamed 
by the rain into numerous divergent     
channels1 with pyramidal peaks between2 

and1 combining the perpendicularity of a
 true cliff with the water-scooped      
furrows of a yielding clay1 it presents 
a peculiarity of aspect which strikes1  
by its grotesqueness1 eyes little       
accustomed to detect the picturesque in 
landscape4 ,i remember standing to gaze 
upon it when a mere child2 and the      
fisher children of the neighboring town 
still tell that it has been prophesied  
it will one day fall1 and kill a man and
 a horse on the road below1--a legend   
which shows it must have attracted their
 notice too4  ,i selected as the special
 scene of exploration this morning1 a   
deep ravine of the boulder-clay1 which  
had been recently deepened still more by
 the waters of a mill-pond1 that had    
burst during a thunder-shower1 and1     
after scooping out for themselves a bed 
in the clay some twelve or fifteen feet 
deep1 where there had been formerly     
merely a shallow drain1 had then tumbled
 into the ravine1 and bared it to the   
rock4 ,the sandstones of the district1  

soft and not very durable1 show the     
scratched and polished surfaces but     
indifferently well1 and1 when exposed to
 the weather1 soon lose them2 but in the
 bottom of the runnel by which the      
ravine is swept ,i found them           
exceedingly well marked1--the polish as 
decided as the soft red stone could     
receive1 and the lines of scratching    
running in their general bearing due    
east and west1 at nearly right angles   
with the course of the stream4 ,wherever
 the rock had been laid bare during the 
last few months1 there were the         
markings2 wherever it had been laid bare
 for a few twelvemonths1 they were gone4
 ,i next marked a circumstance which has
 now for several years been attracting  
my attention1 and which ,i have found an
 invariable characteristic of the true  
boulder-clay4 ,not only do the rocks on 
which the deposit rests bear the        
scratched and polished surfaces1 but in 
every instance the fragments of stone   
which it incloses bear the scratchings  

also1 if from their character capable of
 receiving and retaining such markings1 
and neither of too coarse a grain nor of
 too hard a quality4 ,if of limestone1  
or of a coherent shale1 or of a close1  
finely-grained sandstone1 or of a       
yielding trap1 they are scratched and   
polished1--invariably on one1 most      
commonly on both their sides2 and it is 
a noticeable circumstance1 that the     
lines of the scratchings occur1 in at   
least nine cases out of every ten1 in   
the lines of their longer axes4 ,when   
decidedly oblong or spindle-shaped1 the 
scratchings run lengthwise1 preserving  
in most cases1 on the under and upper   
sides1 when both surfaces are scratched1
 a parallelism singularly exact2        
whereas1 when of a broader form1 so that
 the length and breadth nearly          
approximate1--though the lines generally
 find out the longer axis1 and run in   
that direction1--they are less exact in 
their parallelism1 and are occasionally 
traversed by cross furrows4 ,of such    

certain occurrence is this longitudinal 
lining on the softer and finer-grained  
pebbles of the boulder-clay1 that ,i    
have come to regard it as that special  
characteristic of the deposit on which  
,i can most surely rely for purposes of 
identification4 ,i am never quite       
certain of the boulder-clay when ,i do  
not detect it1 nor doubtful of the true 
character of the deposit when ,i do4    
,when examining1 for instance1 the      
accumulation of broken ,liasic materials
 in the neighborhood of ,banff1 ,i made 
it my first care to ascertain whether   
the bank inclosed fragments of stone or 
shale bearing the longitudinal markings2
 and felt satisfied1 on finding that it 
did1 that ,i had discovered the period  
of its re-formation4     ,,chapter ,,vi4
       ,organisms of the ,boulder-clay  
not unequivocal--,first ,impressions of 
the ,boulder-clay--,difficulty of       
accounting for its barrenness of        
,remains--,sir ,charles ,lyell's        
reasoning--,a ,fact to the              

contrary--,human ,skull dug from a      
,clay-bank--,the ,author's ,change of   
,belief respecting ,organic ,remains of 
the ,boulder-clay--,shells from      the
 ,clay at ,wick--,questions respecting  
them settled--,conclusions              
confirmed by ,mr4 ,dick's ,discoveries  
at ,thurso--,sir ,john ,sinclair's      
,discovery of ,boulder-clay ,shells in  
#ahjb--;,comminution of the ,shells     
illustrated--,cyprina islandica--,its   
,preservation in larger                 
,proportions than those of other ,shells
 accounted for--,boulder-clays      of  
,scotland reformed during the existing  
,geological ,epoch--,scotland      in   
the ,period of the ,boulder-clay merely 
three detached groups of                
,islands--,evidence of the ,subsidence  
of the ,land in                         
,scotland--,confirmed by ,rev4 ,mr4     
,cumming's conclusion--,high-lying      
,granite ,boulders--,marks of a         
succeeding elevatory                    
,period--,scandinavia now               

rising--,autobiography of a ,boulder    
desirable--,a ,story of the             
,supernatural4  ,for the greater part of
 a quarter of a century ,i had been     
finding organisms in abundance in the   
boulder-clay1 but never anything organic
 that unequivocally belonged to its own 
period4 ,i had ascertained that it      
contains in ,ross and ,cromarty nodules 
of the ,old ,red ,sandstone1 which bear 
inside1 like so many stone coffins1     
their well laid out skeletons of the    
dead2 but then the markings on their    
surface told me that when the           
boulder-clay was in the course of       
deposition1 they had been exactly the   
same kind of nodules that they are now4 
,in ,moray1 it incloses1 ,i had found1  
organisms of the ,lias2 but they also   
testify that they present an appearance 
in no degree more ancient at the present
 time than they did when first enveloped
 by the clay4 ,in ,east and ,west       
,lothian too1 and in the neighborhood of
 ,edinburgh1 ,i had detected in it      

occasional organisms of the ,mountain   
,limestone and the ,coal ,measures2 but 
these1 not less surely than its ,liasic 
fossils in ,moray1 and its ,old ,red    
ichthyolites in ,cromarty and ,ross1    
belonged to an incalculably more ancient
 state of things than itself2 and--like 
those shrivelled manuscripts of ,pompeii
 or ,herculaneum1 which1 whatever else  
they may record1 cannot be expected to  
tell aught of the catastrophe that      
buried them up--they throw no light     
whatever on the deposit in which they   
occur4 ,i at length came to regard the  
boulder-clay--for it is difficult to    
keep the mind in a purely blank state on
 any subject on which one thinks a good 
deal--as representative of a chaotic    
period of death and darkness1           
introductory1 mayhap1 to the existing   
scene of things4  ,after1 however1 ,i   
had begun to mark the invariable        
connection of the clay1 as a deposit1   
with the dressed surfaces on which it   
rests1 and the longitudinal linings of  

the pebbles and boulders which it       
incloses1 and to associate it1 in       
consequence1 with an ice-charged sea and
 the ,great ,gulf ,stream1 it seemed to 
me extremely difficult to assign a      
reason why it should be thus barren of  
remains4 ,sir ,charles ,lyell states1 in
 his ,elements1 that the stranding of   
ice-islands in the bays of ,iceland     
since #ahce has driven away the fish for
 several successive seasons1 and thereby
 caused a famine among the inhabitants  
of the country2 and he argues from the  
fact1 that a sea habitually infested    
with melting ice1 which would chill and 
freshen the water1 might render the same
 uninhabitable by marine mollusca4 ,but 
then1 on the other hand1 it is equally a
 fact that half a million of seals have 
been killed in a single season on the   
meadow-ice a little to the north of     
,newfoundland1 and that many millions of
 cod1 besides other fish1 are captured  
yearly on the shores of that island1    
though grooved and furrowed by ice-floes

 almost every spring4 ,of the seal      
family it is specially recorded by      
naturalists1 that many of the species   
are from choice inhabitants of the      
margins of the frozen seas towards both 
poles2 and1 of course1 in localities in 
which many such animals live1 some must 
occasionally die4 ,and though the       
grinding process would certainly have   
disjointed1 and might probably have worn
 down and partially mutilated1 the bones
 of the amphibious carnivora of the     
boulder period1 it seems not in the     
least probable1 judging from the        
fragments of loose-grained sandstone and
 soft shale which it has spared1 that it
 would have wholly destroyed them4 ,so  
it happened1 however1 that from ,north  
,berwick to the ,ord ,hill of           
,caithness1 ,i had never found in the   
boulder-clay the slightest trace of an  
organism that could be held to belong to
 itself2 and as it seems natural to     
build on negative evidence1 if very     
extensive1 considerably more than mere  

negative evidence1 whatever the         
circumstances1 will carry1 ,i became    
somewhat skeptical regarding the very   
existence of boulder-fossils1--a        
skepticism which the worse than doubtful
 character of several supposed          
discoveries in the deposit served       
considerably to strengthen4 ,the clay   
forms1 when cut by a water-course1 or   
assailed on the coast by some unusually 
high tide1 a perpendicular precipice1   
which in the course of years slopes into
 a talus2 and as it exhibits in most    
instances no marks of stratification1   
the clay of the talus--a mere           
re-formation of fragments detached by   
the frosts and rains from the exposed   
frontage--can rarely be distinguished   
from that of the original deposit4 ,now1
 in these consolidated slopes it is not 
unusual to find remains1 animal and     
vegetable1 of no very remote antiquity4 
,i have seen a human skull dug out of   
the reclining base of a clay-bank once a
 precipice1 fully six feet from under   

the surface4 ,it might have been deemed 
the skull of some long-lived            
contemporary of ,enoch1--one of the     
accursed race1 mayhap1   ,who sinned and
 died before the avenging flood4  ,but1 
alas6 the laborer dug a little further1 
and struck his pickaxe against an old   
rybat that lay deeper still4 ,there     
could be no mistaking the character of  
the champfered edge1 that still bore the
 marks of the tool1 nor that of the     
square perforation for the lock-bolt2   
and a rising theory1 that would have    
referred the boulder-clay to a period in
 which the polar ice1 set loose by the  
waters of the ,noachian deluge1 came    
floating southwards over the foundered  
land1 straightway stumbled against it1  
and fell4 ,both rybat and skull had come
 from an ancient burying-ground1 that   
occupies a projecting angle of the      
table-land above4 ,i must now state1    
however1 that my skepticism has         
thoroughly given way2 and that1 slowly  
yielding to the force of positive       

evidence1 ,i have become as assured a   
believer in the comminuted recent shells
 of the boulder-clay as in the          
belemnites of the ,oolite and ,lias1 or 
the ganoid ichthyolites of the ,old ,red
 ,sandstone4  ,i had marked1 when at    
,wick1 on several occasions1 a thick    
boulder-clay deposit occupying the      
southern side of the harbor1 and forming
 an elevated platform1 on which the     
higher parts of ,pulteneytown are built2
 but ,i had noted little else regarding 
it than that it bears the average       
dark-gray color of the flagstones of the
 district1 and that some of the granitic
 boulders which protrude from its top   
and sides are of vast size4 ,on my last 
visit1 however1 rather more than two    
years ago1 when sauntering along its    
base1 after a very wet morning1 awaiting
 the ,orkney steamer1 ,i was surprised  
to find1 where a small slip had taken   
place during the rain1 that it was      
mottled over with minute fragments of   
shells4 ,these ,i examined1 and found1  

so far as1 in their extremely broken    
condition1 ,i dared determine the point1
 that they belonged in such large       
proportion to one species1--the ,cyprina
 islandica of ,dr4 ,fleming1--that ,i   
could detect among them only a single   
fragment of any other shell1--the       
pillar1 apparently1 of a large specimen 
of ,purpura lapillus4 ,both shells      
belong to that class of old             
existences1--long descended1 without the
 pride of ancient descent1--which link  
on the extinct to the recent scenes of  
being4 ,cyprina islandica and ,purpura  
lapillus not only exist as living       
molluscs in the ,british seas1 but they 
occur also as crag-shells1 side by side 
with the dead races that have no place  
in the present fauna4 ,at this time1    
however1 ,i could but think of them     
simply in their character as recent     
molluscs2 and as it seemed quite        
startling enough to find them in a      
deposit which ,i had once deemed        
representative of a period of death1 and

 still continued to regard as           
obstinately unfossiliferous1 ,i next set
 myself to determine whether it really  
was the boulder-clay in which they      
occurred4 ,almost the first pebble which
 ,i disengaged from the mass1 however1  
settled the point1 by furnishing the    
evidence on which for several years past
 ,i have been accustomed to settle      
it2--it bore in the line of its longer  
axis1 on a polished surface1 the        
freshly-marked grooves and scratchings  
of the iceberg era4 ,still1 however1 ,i 
had my doubts1 not regarding the        
deposit1 but the shells4 ,might they not
 belong merely to the talus of this bank
 of boulder-clay8--a re-formation1 in   
all probability1 not more ancient than  
the elevation of the most recent of the 
old coast lines1--perhaps greatly less  
so4 ,meeting with an intelligent citizen
 of ,wick1 ,mr4 ,john ,cleghorn1 ,i     
requested him to keep a vigilant eye on 
the shells1 and to ascertain for me1    
when opportunity offered1 whether they  

occurred deep in the deposit1 or were   
restricted to merely the base of its    
exposed front4 ,on my return from       
,orkney1 he kindly brought me a small   
collection of fragments1 exclusively1 so
 far as ,i could judge1 of ,cyprina     
islandica1 picked up in fresh sections  
of the clay2 at the same time expressing
 his belief that they really belonged to
 the deposit as such1 and were not      
accidental introductions into it from   
the adjacent shore4 ,and at this point  
for nearly two years the matter rested1 
when my attention was again called to it
 by finding1 in the publication of ,mr4 
,keith ,johnston's admirable ,geological
 ,map of the ,british ,islands1 edited  
by ,professor ,edward ,forbes1 that     
other eyes than mine had detected shells
 in the boulder-clay of ,caithness4     
,cliffs of ,pleistocene1 says the       
,professor1 in one of his notes attached
 to the map1 occur at ,wick1 containing 
boreal shells1 especially ,astarte      
borealis4  ,i had seen the boulder-clay 

characteristically developed in the     
neighborhood of ,thurso2 but1 during a  
rather hurried visit1 had lacked time to
 examine it4 ,the omission mattered the 
less1 however1 as my friend ,mr4 ,robert
 ,dick is resident in the locality2 and 
there are few men who examine more      
carefully or more perseveringly than he1
 or who can enjoy with higher relish the
 sweets of scientific research4 ,i wrote
 him regarding ,professor ,forbes's     
decision on the boulder-clay of ,wick   
and its shells2 urging him to ascertain 
whether the boulder-clay of ,thurso had 
not its shells also4 ,and almost by     
return of post ,i received from him1 in 
reply1 a little packet of comminuted    
shells1 dug out of a deposit of the     
boulder-clay1 laid open by the river    
,thorsa1 a full mile from the sea1 and  
from eighty to a hundred feet over its  
level4 ,he had detected minute fragments
 of shell in the clay about a           
twelvemonth before2 but a skepticism    
somewhat similar to my own1 added to the

 dread of being deceived by mere surface
 shells1 recently derived from the shore
 in the character of shell-sand1 or of  
the edible species carried inland for   
food1 and then transferred from the     
ash-pit to the fields1 had not only     
prevented him from following up the     
discovery1 but even from thinking of it 
as such4 ,but he eagerly followed it up 
now1 by visiting every bank of the      
boulder-clay in his locality within     
twenty miles of ,thurso1 and found them 
all charged1 from top to bottom1 with   
comminuted shells1 however great their  
distance from the sea1 or their         
elevation over it4 ,the fragments lie   
thick along the course of the ,thorsa1  
where the encroaching stream is scooping
 out the clay for the first time since  
its deposition1 and laying bare the     
scratched and furrowed pebbles4 ,they   
occur1 too1 in the depths of solitary   
ravines far amid the moors1 and underlie
 heath1 and moss1 and vegetable mould1  
on the exposed hill-sides4 ,the         

farm-house of ,dalemore1 twelve miles   
from ,thurso as the crow flies1 and     
rather more than thirteen miles from    
,wick1 occupies1 as nearly as may be1   
the centre of the county2 and yet there1
 as on the sea-shore1 the boulder-clay  
is charged with its fragments of marine 
shells4 ,though so barren elsewhere on  
the east coast of ,scotland1 the clay is
 everywhere in ,caithness a             
shell-bearing deposit2 and no sooner had
 ,mr4 ,dick determined the fact for     
himself1 at the expense of many a       
fatiguing journey1 and many an hour's   
hard digging1 than he found that it had 
been ascertained long before1 though1   
from the very inadequate style in which 
it had been recorded1 science had in    
scarce any degree benefited by the      
discovery4 ,in #ahjb the late ,sir ,john
 ,sinclair1 distinguished for his       
enlightened zeal in developing the      
agricultural resources of the country1  
and for originating its statistics1     
employed a mineralogical surveyor to    

explore the underground treasures of the
 district2 and the surveyor's journal he
 had printed under the title of ,minutes
 and ,observations drawn up in the      
course of a ,mineralogical ,survey of   
the ,county of ,caithness1 ann4 #ahjb1  
by ,john ,busby1 ,edinburgh4 ,now1 in   
this journal there are frequent         
references made to the occurrence of    
marine shells in the blue clay4 ,mr4    
,dick has copied for me the two         
following entries1--for the work itself 
,i have never seen3--#ahjb1 ,sept4      
#gth4--,surveyed down the river ,thorsa 
to ,geize2 found blue clay-marl1        
intermixed with marine shells in great  
abundance4 ,sept4 #abth4--,set off this 
morning for ,dalemore4 ,bored for       
shell-marl in the 'grass-park2' found it
 in one of the quagmires1 but to no     
great extent4 ,bored for shell-marl in  
the 'house-park4' ,surveyed by the side 
of the river1 and found blue clay-marl  
in great plenty1 intermixed with marine 
shells1 such as those found at ,geize4  

,this place is supposed to be about     
twenty miles from the sea2 and is one   
instance1 among many in ,caithness1 of  
the ocean's covering the inland country 
at some former period of time4  ,the    
state of keeping in which the           
boulder-shells of ,caithness occur is   
exactly what1 on the iceberg theory1    
might be premised4 ,the ponderous       
ice-rafts that went grating over the    
deep-sea bottom1 grinding down its rocks
 into clay1 and deeply furrowing its    
pebbles1 must have borne heavily on its 
comparatively fragile shells4 ,if rocks 
and pebbles did not escape1 the shells  
must have fared but hardly4 ,and very   
hardly they have fared3 the rather      
unpleasant casualty of being crushed to 
death must have been a greatly more     
common one in those days than in even   
the present age of railways and         
machinery4 ,the reader1 by passing half 
a bushel of the common shells of our    
shores through a barley-mill1 as a      
preliminary operation in the process1   

and by next subjecting the broken       
fragments thus obtained to the attritive
 influence of the waves on some         
storm-beaten beach for a twelvemonth or 
two1 as a finishing operation1 may      
produce1 when he pleases1 exactly such a
 water-worn shelly debris as mottles the
 blue boulder-clays of ,caithness4 ,the 
proportion borne by the fragments of one
 species of shell to that of all the    
others is very extraordinary4 ,the      
,cyprina islandica is still by no means 
a rare mollusc on our ,scottish shores1 
and may1 on an exposed coast1 after a   
storm1 be picked up by dozens1 attached 
to the roots of the deep-sea tangle4 ,it
 is greatly less abundant1 however1 than
 such shells as ,purpura lapillus1      
,mytilus edule1 ,cardium edule1         
,littorina littorea1 and several others2
 whereas in the boulder-clay it is1 in  
the proportion of at least ten to one1  
more abundant than all the others put   
together4 ,the great strength of the    
shell1 however1 may have in part led to 

this result2 as ,i find that its        
stronger and massier portions1--those of
 the umbo and hinge-joint1--are         
exceedingly numerous in proportion to   
its slimmer and weaker fragments4 ,the  
,cyprina islandica1 says ,dr4 ,fleming1 
in his ,british ,animals1 is the largest
 ,british bivalve shell1 measuring      
sometimes thirteen inches in            
circumference1 and1 exclusively of the  
animal1 weighing upwards of nine ounces4
 ,now1 in a collection of fragments of  
,cyprina sent me by ,mr4 ,dick1         
disinterred from the boulder-clay in    
various localities in the neighborhood  
of ,thurso1 and weighing in all about   
four ounces1 ,i have detected the broken
 remains of no fewer than sixteen hinge 
joints4 ,and on the same principle      
through which the stronger fragments of 
,cyprina were preserved in so much      
larger proportion than the weaker ones1 
may ,cyprina itself have been preserved 
in much larger proportion than its more 
fragile neighbors4 ,occasionally1       

however1--escaped1 as if by             
accident1--characteristic fragments are 
found of shells by no means very        
strong1--such as ,mytilus1 ,tellina1 and
 ,astarte4 ,among the univalves ,i can  
distinguish ,dentalium entale1 ,purpura 
lapillus1 ,turritella terebra1 and      
,littorina littorea1 all existing       
shells1 but all common also to at least 
the later deposits of the ,crag4 ,and   
among the bivalves ,mr4 ,dick           
enumerates1--besides the prevailing     
,cyprina islandica1--,venus casina1     
,cardium edule1 ,cardium echinatum1     
,mytilus edule1 ,astarte danmoniensis   
7sulcata71 and ,astarte compressa1 with 
a ,mactra1 ,artemis1 and ,tellina4#ae   
,all the determined species here1 with  
the exception of ,mytilus edule1 have1  
with many others1 been found by the     
,rev4 ,mr4 ,cumming in the boulder-clays
 of the ,isle of ,man2 and all of them  
are living shells at the present day on 
our ,scottish coasts4 ,it seems scarce  
possible to fix the age of a deposit so 

broken in its organisms1 on the         
principle that would first seek to      
determine its per centage of extinct    
shells as the data on which to found4   
,one has to search sedulously and long  
ere a fragment turns up sufficiently    
entire for the purpose of specific      
identification1 even when it belongs to 
a well-known living shell2 and did the  
clay contain some six or eight per cent4
 of the extinct in a similarly broken   
condition 7and there is no evidence that
 it contains a single per cent4 of      
extinct shells71 ,i know not how1 in the
 circumstances1 the fact could ever be  
determined4 ,a lifetime might be devoted
 to the task of fixing their real       
proportion1 and yet be devoted to it in 
vain4 ,all that at present can be said  
is1 that1 judging from what appears1 the
 boulder-clays of ,caithness1 and with  
them the boulder-clays of ,scotland     
generally1 and of the ,isle of          
,man1--for they are all palpably        
connected with the same iceberg         

phenomena1 and occur along the same zone
 in reference to the sea-level1--were   
formed during the existing geological   
epoch4  ,these details may appear       
tediously minute2 but let the reader    
mark how very much they involve4 ,the   
occurrence of recent shells largely     
diffused throughout the boulder-clays of
 ,caithness1 at all heights and         
distances from the sea at which the clay
 itself occurs1 and not only connected  
with the iceberg phenomena by the       
closest juxtaposition1 but also         
testifying distinctly to its agency by  
the extremely comminuted state in which 
we find them1 tell us1 not only         
according to old ,john ,busby1 that the 
ocean covered the inland country at some
 former period of time1 but that it     
covered it to a great height at a time  
geologically recent1 when our seas were 
inhabited by exactly the same mollusca  
as inhabit them now1 and so far as yet  
appears1 by none others4 ,i have not yet
 detected the boulder-clay at more than 

from six to eight hundred feet over the 
level of the sea2 but the travelled     
boulders ,i have often found at more    
than a thousand feet over it2 and ,dr4  
,john ,fleming1 the correctness of whose
 observations few men acquainted with   
the character of his researches or of   
his mind will be disposed to challenge1 
has informed me that he has detected the
 dressed and polished surfaces at least 
four hundred feet higher4 ,there occurs 
a greenstone boulder1 of from twelve to 
fourteen tons weight1 says ,mr4         
,m',laren1 in his ,geology of ,fife and 
the ,lothians1 on the south side of     
,black ,hill 7one of the ,pentland      
range71 at about fourteen hundred feet  
over the sea4 ,now fourteen or fifteen  
hundred feet1 taken as the extreme      
height of the dressings1 though they are
 said to occur greatly higher1 would    
serve to submerge in the iceberg ocean  
almost the whole agricultural region of 
,scotland4 ,the common hazel 7,corylus  
avellana7 ceases to grow in the latitude

 of the ,grampians1 at from one thousand
 two hundred to one thousand five       
hundred feet over the sea level2 the    
common bracken 7,pteris aquilina7 at    
about the same height2 and corn is never
 successfully cultivated at a greater   
altitude4 ,where the hazel and bracken  
cease to grow1 it is in vain to attempt 
growing corn4#af ,in the period of the  
boulder-clay1 then1 when the existing   
shells of our coasts lived in those     
inland sounds and friths of the country 
that now exist as broad plains or       
fertile valleys1 the sub-aerial         
superficies of ,scotland was restricted 
to what are now its barren and mossy    
regions1 and formed1 instead of one     
continuous land1 merely three detached  
groups of islands1--the small ,cheviot  
and ,hartfell group1--the greatly larger
 ,grampian and ,ben ,nevis group1--and a
 group intermediate in size1 extending  
from ,mealfourvonny1 on the northern    
shores of ,loch ,ness1 to the ,maiden   
,paps of ,caithness4  ,the more ancient 

boulder-clays of ,scotland seem to have 
been formed when the land was undergoing
 a slow process of subsidence1 or1 as ,i
 should perhaps rather say1 when a very 
considerable area of the earth's        
surface1 including the sea-bottom1 as   
well as the eminences that rose over it1
 was the subject of a gradual           
depression2 for little or no alteration 
appears to have taken place at the time 
in the relative levels of the higher and
 lower portions of the sinking area3 the
 features of the land in the northern   
part of the kingdom1 from the southern  
flanks of the ,grampians to the         
,pentland ,frith1 seemed to have been   
fixed in nearly the existing forms many 
ages before1 at the close1 apparently1  
of the ,oolitic period1 and at a still  
earlier age in the ,lammermuir district1
 to the south4 ,and so the sea around   
our shores must have deepened in the    
ratio in which the hills sank4 ,the     
evidence of this process of subsidence  
is of a character tolerably             

satisfactory4 ,the dressed surfaces     
occur in ,scotland1 most certainly1 as  
,i have already stated on the authority 
of ,dr4 ,fleming1 at the height of      
fourteen hundred feet over the present  
sea-level2 it has been even said1 at    
fully twice that height1 on the lofty   
flanks of ,schehallion1--a statement1   
however1 which ,i have had hitherto no  
opportunity of verifying4 ,they may be  
found1 too1 equally well marked1 under  
the existing high-water line2 and it is 
obviously impossible that the dressing  
process could have been going on at the 
higher and lower levels at the same     
time4 ,when the icebergs were grating   
along the more elevated rocks1 the      
low-lying ones must have been buried    
under from three to seven hundred       
fathoms of water1--a depth from three to
 seven times greater1 be it remembered1 
than that at which the most ponderous   
iceberg could possibly have grounded1 or
 have in any degree affected the bottom4
 ,the dressing process1 then1 must have 

been a bit-and-bit process1 carried on  
during either a period of elevation1 in 
which the rising land was subjected1    
zone after zone1 to the sweep of the    
armed ice from its higher levels        
downwards1 or during a period of        
subsidence1 in which it was subjected to
 the ice1 zone after zone1 from its     
lower levels upwards4 ,and that it was  
the lower1 not the higher levels1 that  
were first dressed1 appears evident from
 the circumstance1 that though on these 
lower levels we find the rocks covered  
up by continuous beds of the            
boulder-clay1 varying generally from    
twenty to a hundred feet in thickness1  
they are1 notwithstanding1 as completely
 dressed under the clay as on the       
heights above4 ,had it been a rising    
land that was subjected to the attrition
 of the icebergs1 the debris and        
dressings of the higher rocks would have
 protected the lower from the attrition2
 and so the thick accumulation of       
boulder-clay which overlies the old     

coast line1 for instance1 would have    
rested1 not on dressed1 but on undressed
 surfaces4 ,the barer rocks of the lower
 levels might of course exhibit their   
scratchings and polishings1 like those  
of the higher2 but wherever these       
scratchings and polishings occurred in  
the inferior zones1 no thick protecting 
stratum of boulder-clay would be found  
overlying them2 and1 vice versa1        
wherever in these zones there occurred  
thick beds of boulder-clay1 there would 
be detected on the rock beneath no      
scratchings and polishings4 ,in order to
 dress the entire surface of a country  
from the sea-line and under it to the   
tops of its hills1 and at the same time 
to cover up extensive portions of its   
low-lying rocks with vast deposits of   
clay1 it seems a necessary condition of 
the process that it should be carried on
 piece-meal from the lower level        
upwards1--not from the higher downwards4
  ,it interested me much to find1 that  
while from one set of appearances ,i had

 been inferring the gradual subsidence  
of the land during the period of the    
boulder-clay1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cumming of
 ,king ,william's ,college had arrived1 
from the consideration of quite a       
different class of phenomena1 at a      
similar conclusion4 ,it appears to me   
highly probable1 ,i find him remarking1 
in his lately published ,isle of man1   
that at the commencement of the boulder 
period there was a gradual sinking of   
this area that of the island4           
,successively1 therefore1 the points at 
different degrees of elevation were     
brought within the influence of the sea1
 and exposed to the rake of the tides1  
charged with masses of ice which had    
been floated off from the surrounding   
shores1 and bearing on their under      
surfaces1 mud1 gravel1 and fragments of 
hard rock4 ,mr4 ,cumming goes on to     
describe1 in his volume1 some curious   
appearances1 which seem to bear direct  
on this point1 in connection with a boss
 of a peculiarly-compounded granite1    

which occurs in the southern part of the
 island1 about seven hundred feet over  
the level of the sea4 ,there rise on the
 western side of the boss two hills1 one
 of which attains to the elevation of   
nearly seven hundred1 and the other of  
nearly eight hundred feet over it2 and  
yet both hills to their summits are     
mottled over with granite boulders1     
furnished by the comparatively low-lying
 boss4 ,one of these travelled masses1  
fully two tons in weight1 lies not sixty
 feet from the summit of the loftier    
hill1 at an altitude of nearly fifteen  
hundred feet over the sea4 ,now1 it     
seems extremely difficult to conceive of
 any other agency than that of a rising 
sea or of a subsiding land1 through     
which these masses could have been      
rolled up the steep slopes of the hills4
 ,had the boulder period been a period  
of elevation1 or merely a stationary    
period1 during which the land neither   
rose nor sank1 the travelled boulders   
would not now be found resting at higher

 levels than that of the parent rock    
whence they were derived4 ,we           
occasionally meet on our shores1 after  
violent storms from the sea1 stones that
 have been rolled from their place at   
low ebb to nearly the line of flood2 but
 we always find that it was by the waves
 of the rising1 not of the falling tide1
 that their transport was effected4 ,for
 whatever removals of the kind take     
place during an ebbing sea are          
invariably in an opposite               
direction2--they are removals1 not from 
lower to higher levels1 but from higher 
to lower4  ,the upper subsoils of       
,scotland bear frequent mark of the     
elevatory period which succeeded this   
period of depression4 ,the boulder-clay 
has its numerous intercalated arenaceous
 and gravelly beds1 which belong        
evidently to its own era2 but the       
numerous surface-beds of stratified sand
 and gravel by which in so many         
localities it is overlaid belong        
evidently to a later time4 ,when1 after 

possibly a long protracted period1 the  
land again began to rise1 or the sea to 
fall1 the superior portions of the      
boulder-clay must have been exposed to  
the action of the tides and waves2 and  
the same process of separation of parts 
must have taken place on a large scale1 
which one occasionally sees taking place
 in the present time on a comparatively 
small one1 in ravines of the same clay  
swept by a streamlet4 ,after every      
shower1 the stream comes down red and   
turbid with the finer and more          
argillaceous portions of the deposit2   
minute accumulations of sand are swept  
to the gorge of the ravine1 or cast down
 in ripple-marked patches in its deeper 
pools2 beds of pebbles and gravel are   
heaped up in every inflection of its    
banks2 and boulders are laid bare along 
its sides4 ,now1 a separation1 by a sort
 of washing process of an analogous     
character1 must have taken place in the 
materials of the more exposed portions  
of the boulder-clay1 during the gradual 

emergence of the land2 and hence1       
apparently1 those extensive beds of sand
 and gravel which in so many parts of   
the kingdom exist1 in relation to the   
clay1 as a superior or upper subsoil2   
hence1 too1 occasional beds of a purer  
clay than that beneath1 divested of a   
considerable portion of its arenaceous  
components1 and of almost all its       
pebbles and boulders4 ,this washed      
clay1--a re-formation of the boulder    
deposit1 cast down1 mostly in insulated 
beds in quiet localities1 where the     
absence of currents suffered the purer  
particles held in suspension by the     
water to settle1--forms1 in ,scotland at
 least1 with1 of course1 the exception  
of the ancient fire-clays of the ,coal  
,measures1 the true brick and tile clays
 of the agriculturist and architect4    
,it is to these superior beds that all  
the recent shells yet found above the   
existing sea-level in ,scotland1 from   
the ,dornoch ,frith and beyond it1 to   
beyond the ,frith of ,forth1 seem to    

belong4 ,their period is much less      
remote than that of the shells of the   
boulder-clay1 and they rarely occur in  
the same comminuted condition4 ,they    
existed1 it would appear1 not during the
 chill twilight period1 when the land   
was in a state of subsidence1 but during
 the after period of cheerful dawn1 when
 hill-top after hill-top was emerging   
from the deep1 and the close of each    
passing century witnessed a broader area
 of dry land in what is now ,scotland1  
than the close of the century which had 
gone before4 ,scandinavia is similarly  
rising at the present day1 and presents 
with every succeeding age a more        
extended breadth of surface4 ,many of   
the boulder-stones seem to have been    
cast down where they now lie1 during    
this latter time4 ,when they occur1 as  
in many instances1 high on bare         
hill-tops1 from five to fifteen hundred 
feet over the sea-level1 with neither   
gravel nor boulder-clay beside them1 we 
of course cannot fix their period4 ,they

 may have been dropped by ice-floes or  
shore-ice1 where we now find them1 at   
the commencement of the period of       
elevation1 after the clay had been      
formed2 or they may have been deposited 
by more ponderous icebergs during its   
formation1 when the land was yet        
sinking1 though during the subsequent   
rise the clay may have been washed from 
around them to lower levels4 ,the       
boulders1 however1 which we find        
scattered over the plains and less      
elevated hill-sides1 with beds of the   
washed gravel or sand interposed between
 them and the clay1 must have been cast 
down where they lie1 during the         
elevatory ages4 ,for1 had they been     
washed out of the clay1 they would have 
lain1 not over the greatly lighter sands
 and gravels1 but under them4 ,would    
that they could write their own         
histories6 ,the autobiography of a      
single boulder1 with notes on the       
various floras which had sprung up      
around it1 and the various classes of   

birds1 beasts1 and insects by which it  
had been visited1 would be worth        
nine-tenths of all the autobiographies  
ever published1 and a moiety of the     
remainder to boot4  ,a few hundred yards
 from the opening of this dell of the   
boulder-clay1 in which ,i have so long  
detained the reader1 there is a wooded  
inflection of the bank1 formed by the   
old coast line1 in which there stood1   
about two centuries ago1 a meal-mill1   
with the cottage of the miller1 and     
which was once known as the scene of one
 of those supernaturalities that belong 
to the times of the witch and the fairy4
 ,the upper anchoring-place of the bay  
lies nearly opposite the inflection4 ,a 
shipmaster1 who had moored his vessel in
 this part of the roadstead1 some time  
in the latter days of the first         
,charles1 was one fine evening sitting  
alone on deck1 awaiting the return of   
his seamen1 who had gone ashore1 and    
amusing himself in watching the lights  
that twinkled from the scattered        

farm-houses1 and in listening1 in the   
extreme stillness of the calm1 to the   
distant lowing of cattle1 or the abrupt 
bark of the herdsman's dog4 ,as the hour
 wore later1 the sounds ceased1 and the 
lights disappeared1--all but one        
solitary taper1 that twinkled from the  
window of the miller's cottage4 ,at     
length1 however1 it also disappeared1   
and all was dark around the shores of   
the bay1 as a belt of black velvet4     
,suddenly a hissing noise was heard     
overhead2 the shipmaster looked up1 and 
saw what seemed to be one of those      
meteors known as falling stars1 slanting
 athwart the heavens in the direction of
 the cottage1 and increasing in size and
 brilliancy as it neared the earth1     
until the wooded ridge and the shore    
could be seen as distinctly from the    
ship-deck as by day4 ,a dog howled      
piteously from one of the               
out-houses1--an owl whooped from the    
wood4 ,the meteor descended until it    
almost touched the roof1 when a cock    

crew from within2 its progress seemed   
instantly arrested2 it stood still1 rose
 about the height of a ship's mast1 and 
then began again to descend4 ,the cock  
crew a second time2 it rose as before2  
and1 after mounting considerably higher 
than at first1 again sank in the line of
 the cottage1 to be again arrested by   
the crowing of the cock4 ,it mounted yet
 a third time1 rising higher still2 and1
 in its last descent1 had almost touched
 the roof1 when the faint clap of wings 
was heard as if whispered over the      
water1 followed by a still louder note  
of defiance from the cock4 ,the meteor  
rose with a bound1 and1 continuing to   
ascend until it seemed lost among the   
stars1 did not again appear4 ,next      
night1 however1 at the same hour1 the   
same scene was repeated in all its      
circumstances3 the meteor descended1 the
 dog howled1 the owl whooped1 the cock  
crew4 ,on the following morning the     
shipmaster visited the miller's1 and1   
curious to ascertain how the cottage    

would fare when the cock was away1 he   
purchased the bird2 and1 sailing from   
the bay before nightfall1 did not return
 until about a month after4  ,on his    
voyage inwards1 he had no sooner doubled
 an intervening headland1 than he       
stepped forward to the bows to take a   
peep at the cottage3 it had vanished4   
,as he approached the anchoring ground1 
he could discern a heap of blackened    
stones occupying the place where it had 
stood2 and he was informed on going     
ashore1 that it had been burnt to the   
ground1 no one knew how1 on the very    
night he had quitted the bay4 ,he had it
 re-built and furnished1 says the story1
 deeming himself what one of the old    
schoolmen perhaps term the occasional   
cause of the disaster4 ,he also returned
 the cock1--probably a not less         
important benefit1--and no after        
accident befel the cottage4 ,about      
fifteen years ago there was a human     
skeleton dug up near the scene of the   
tradition1 with the skull1 and the bones

 of the legs and feet1 lying close      
together1 as if the body had been       
huddled up twofold in a hole2 and this  
discovery led to that of the story1     
which1 though at one time often repeated
 and extensively believed1 had been     
suffered to sleep in the memories of a  
few elderly people for nearly sixty     
years4     ,,chapter ,,vii4             
,relation of the deep red stone of      
,cromarty to the ,ichthyolite ,beds     
of the ,system--,ruins of a             
,fossil-charged ,bed--,journey to       
,avoch--,red      ,dye of the           
,boulder-clay distinct from the         
substance      itself--,variation of    
,coloring in the ,boulder-clay ,red     
,sandstone      accounted for--,hard-pan
 how formed--,a reformed ,garden--,an   
ancient      ,battle-field--,antiquity  
of ,geologic and ,human ,history        
compared--,burn of                      
,killein--,observation made in boyhood  
confirmed--,fossil-nodules--,fine       
,specimen of ,coccosteus                

decipiens--,blank strata of ,old        
,red--,new ,view respecting the ,rocks  
of ,black ,isle--,a ,trip up ,moray and 
,dingwall ,friths--,altered color       
of the ,boulder-clay--,up the           
,auldgrande ,river--,scenery of the     
great      ,conglomerate--,graphic      
,description--,laidlaw's                
,boulder--,vaccinium                    
myrtillus--,profusion of ,travelled     
,boulders--,the ,boulder ,clach         
,malloch--,its zones of ,animal and     
,vegetable ,life4   ,the ravine         
excavated by the mill-dam showed me what
 ,i had never so well seen before1--the 
exact relation borne by the deep red    
stone of the ,cromarty quarries to the  
ichthyolite beds of the system4 ,it     
occupies the same place1 and belongs to 
the same period1 as those superior beds 
of the ,lower ,old ,red ,sandstone which
 are so largely developed in the cliffs 
of ,dunnet ,head in ,caithness1 and of  
,tarbet ,ness in ,ross-shire1 and which 
were at one time regarded as forming1   

north of the ,grampians1 the analogue of
 the ,new ,red ,sandstone4 ,i paced it  
across the strata this morning1 in the  
line of the ravine1 and found its       
thickness over the upper fish-beds1     
though ,i was far from reaching its     
superior layers1 which are buried here  
in the sea1 to be rather more than five 
hundred feet4 ,the fossiliferous beds   
occur a few hundred yards below the     
dwelling-house of ,rose ,farm4 ,they are
 not quite uncovered in the ravine2 but 
we find their places indicated by heaps 
of gray argillaceous shale1 mingled with
 their characteristic ichthyolitic      
nodules1 in one of which ,i found a     
small specimen of ,cheiracanthus4 ,the  
projecting edge of some fossil-charged  
bed had been struck1 mayhap1 by an      
iceberg1 and dashed into ruins1 just as 
the subsiding land had brought the spot 
within reach of the attritive ice2 and  
the broken heap thus detached had been  
shortly afterwards covered up1 without  
mixture of any other deposit1 by the red

 boulder-clay4 ,on the previous day ,i  
had detected the fish-beds in another   
new locality1--one of the ravines of the
 lawn of ,cromarty ,house1--where the   
gray shale1 concealed by a covering of  
soil and sward for centuries1 had been  
laid bare during the storm by a swollen 
runnel1 and a small nodule1 inclosing a 
characteristic plate of ,pterichthys1   
washed out4 ,and my next object in      
to-day's journey1 after exploring this  
ravine of the boulder-clay1 was to      
ascertain whether the beds did not also 
occur in a ravine of the parish of      
,avoch1 some eight or nine miles away1  
which1 when lying a-bed one night in    
,edinburgh1 ,i remembered having crossed
 when a boy1 at a point which lies      
considerably out of the ordinary route  
of the traveller4 ,i had remarked on    
this occasion1 as the resuscitated      
recollection intimated1 that the        
precipices of the ,avoch ravine bore1 at
 the unfrequented point1 the peculiar   
aspect which ,i learned many years after

 to associate with the ichthyolitic     
member of the system2 and ,i was now    
quite as curious to test the truth of a 
sort of vignette landscape1 transferred 
to the mind at an immature period of    
life1 and preserved in it for full      
thirty years1 as desirous to extend my  
knowledge of the fossiliferous beds of a
 system to the elucidation of which ,i  
had peculiarly devoted myself4  ,as the 
traveller reaches the flat moory uplands
 of the parish1 where the water         
stagnates amid heath and moss over a    
thin layer of peaty soil1 he finds the  
underlying boulder-clay1 as shown in the
 chance sections1 spotted and streaked  
with patches of a grayish-white4 ,there 
is the same mixture of arenaceous and   
aluminous particles in the white as in  
the red portions of the mass2 for1 as we
 see so frequently exemplified in the   
spots and streaks of the ,red ,sandstone
 formations1 whether ,old or ,new1 the  
coloring matter has been discharged     
without any accompanying change of      

composition in the substance which it   
pervaded2--evidence enough that the red 
dye must be something distinct from the 
substance itself1 just as the dye of a  
handkerchief is a thing distinct from   
the silk or cotton yarn of which the    
handkerchief has been woven4 ,the       
stagnant water above1 acidulated by its 
various vegetable solutions1 seems to   
have been in some way connected with    
these appearances4 ,in every case in    
which a crack through the clay gives    
access to the oozing moisture1 we see   
the sides bleached1 for several feet    
downwards1 to nearly the color of       
pipe-clay2 we find the surface1 too1    
when it has been divested of the        
vegetable soil1 presenting for yards    
together the appearance of sheets of    
half-bleached linen3 the red ground of  
the clay has been acted upon by the     
percolating fluid1 as the red ground of 
a ,bandanna handkerchief is acted upon  
through the openings in the perforated  
lead1 by the discharging chloride of    

lime4 ,the peculiar chemistry through   
which these changes are effected might  
be found1 carefully studied1 to throw   
much light on similar phenomena in the  
older formations4 ,there are quarries in
 the ,new ,red ,sandstone in which      
almost every mass of stone presents a   
different shade of color from that of   
its neighboring mass1 and quarries in   
the ,old ,red the strata of which we    
find streaked and spotted like pieces of
 calico4 ,and their variegated aspect   
seems to have been communicated1 in     
every instance1 not during deposition1  
nor after they had been hardened into   
stone but when1 like the boulder-clay1  
they existed in an intermediate state4  
,be it remarked1 too1 that the red clay 
here1--evidently derived from the       
abrasion of the red rocks beneath1--is  
in dye and composition almost identical 
with the substance on which1 as an      
unconsolidated sandstone1 the bleaching 
influences1 whatever their character1   
had operated in the ,palaeozoic period1 

so many long ages before2--it is a      
repetition of the ancient experiment in 
the ,old ,red1 that we now see going on 
in the boulder-clay4 ,it is further     
worthy of notice1 that the bleached     
lines of the clay exhibit1 viewed       
horizontally1 when the overlying        
vegetable mould has been removed1 and   
the whitened surface in immediate       
contact with it paired off1 a polygonal 
arrangement1 like that assumed by the   
cracks in the bottom of clayey pools    
dried up in summer by the heat of the   
sun4 ,can these possibly indicate the   
ancient rents and fissures of the       
boulder-clay1 formed1 immediately after 
the upheaval of the land1 in the first  
process of drying1 and remaining        
afterwards open enough to receive what  
the uncracked portions of the surface   
excluded1--the acidulated bleaching     
fluid8  ,the kind of ferruginous        
pavement of the boulder-clay known to   
the agriculturist as pan1 which may be  
found extending in some cases its iron  

cover over whole districts1--sealing    
them down to barrenness1 as the iron and
 brass sealed down the stump of         
,nebuchadnezzar's tree1--is1 like the   
white strips and blotches of the        
deposit1 worthy the careful notice of   
the geologist4 ,it serves to throw some 
light on the origin of those continuous 
bands of clayey or arenaceous ironstone1
 which in the older formations in which 
vegetable matter abounds1 whether       
,oolitic or ,carboniferous1 are of such 
common occurrence4 ,the pan is a stony  
stratum1 scarcely less indurated in some
 localities than sandstone of the       
average hardness1 that rests like a     
pavement on the surface of the          
boulder-clay1 and that generally bears  
atop a thin layer of sterile soil1      
darkened by a russet covering of stunted
 heath4 ,the binding cement of the pan  
is1 as ,i have said1 ferruginous1 and   
seems to have been derived from the     
vegetable covering above4 ,of all       
plants1 the heaths are found to contain 

most iron4 ,nor is it difficult to      
conceive how1 in comparatively flat     
tracts of heathy moor1 where the surface
 water sinks to the stiff subsoil1 and  
on which one generation of plants after 
another has been growing and decaying   
for many centuries1 the minute metallic 
particles1 disengaged in the process of 
decomposition1 and carried down by the  
rains to the impermeable clay1 should1  
by accumulating there1 bind the layer on
 which they rest1 as is the nature of   
ferruginous oxide1 into a continuous    
stony crust4 ,wherever this pan occurs1 
we find the superincumbent soil doomed  
to barrenness1--arid and sun-baked      
during the summer and autumn months1    
and1 from the same cause1 overcharged   
with moisture in winter and spring4 ,my 
friend ,mr4 ,swanson1 when schoolmaster 
of ,nigg1 found a large garden attached 
to the school-house so inveterately     
sterile as to be scarce worth           
cultivation2 a thin stratum of mould    
rested on a hard impermeable pavement of

 pan1 through which not a single root   
could penetrate to the tenacious but not
 unkindly subsoil below4 ,he set himself
 to work in his leisure hours1 and bit  
by bit laid bare and broke up the       
pavement4 ,the upper mould1 long        
divorced from the clay on which it had  
once rested1 was again united to it2 the
 piece of ground began gradually to     
alter its character for the better2 and 
when ,i last passed the way1 ,i found   
it1 though in a state of sad neglect1   
covered by a richer vegetation than it  
had ever borne under the more careful   
management of my friend4 ,this          
ferruginous pavement of the boulder-clay
 may be deemed of interest to the       
geologist1 as a curious instance of     
deposition in a dense medium1 and as    
illustrative of the changes which may be
 effected on previously existing strata1
 through the agency of an overlying     
vegetation4  ,i passed1 on my way1      
through the ancient battle-field to     
which ,i have incidentally referred in  

the story of the ,miller of ,resolis4#ag
 ,modern improvement has not yet marred 
it by the plough2 and so it still bears 
on its brown surface many a swelling    
tumulus and flat oblong mound1          
and--where the high road of the district
 passes along its eastern edge--the huge
 gray cairn1 raised1 says tradition1    
over the body of an ancient ,pictish    
king4 ,but the contest of which it was  
the scene belongs to a profoundly dark  
period1 ere the gray dawn of ,scottish  
history began4 ,as shown by the remains 
of ancient art occasionally dug up on   
the moor1 it was a conflict of the times
 of the stone battle-axe1 the flint     
arrow-head1 and the unglazed sepulchral 
urn1 unindebted for aught of its        
symmetry to the turning-lathe1--times   
when there were heroes in abundance1 but
 no scribes4 ,and the cairn1 about a    
hundred feet in length and breadth1 by  
about twenty in height1 with its long   
hoary hair of overgrown lichen waving in
 the breeze1 and the trailing club-moss 

shooting upwards from its base along its
 sides1 bears in its every lineament    
full mark of its great age4 ,it is a    
mound striding across the stream of     
centuries1 to connect the past with the 
present4 ,and yet1 after all1 what a    
mere matter of yesterday its extreme    
antiquity is6 ,my explorations this     
morning bore reference to but the later 
eras of the geologist2 the portion of   
the geologic volume which ,i was        
attempting to decipher and translate    
formed the few terminal paragraphs of   
its concluding chapter4 ,and yet the    
finis had been added to them for        
thousands of years ere this latter      
antiquity began4 ,the boulder-clay had  
been formed and deposited2 the land1 in 
rising over the waves1 had had many a   
huge pebble washed out of its last      
formed red stratum1 or dropped upon it  
by ice-floes from above2 and these      
pebbles lay mottling the surface of this
 barren moor for mile after mile1       
bleaching pale to the rains and the sun1

 as the meagre and mossy soil received1 
in the lapse of centuries1 its slow     
accessions of organic matter1 and       
darkened around them4 ,and then1 for a  
few brief hours1 the heath1 no longer   
solitary1 became a wild scene of savage 
warfare1--of waving arms and threatening
 faces1--and of human lives violently   
spilled1 gushing forth in blood2 and1   
when all was over1 the old weathered    
boulders were heaped up above the slain1
 and there began a new antiquity in     
relation to the pile in its gathered    
state1 that bore reference to man's     
short lifetime1 and to the recent       
introduction of the species4 ,the child 
of a few summers speaks of the events of
 last year as long gone by2 while his   
father advanced into middle life1       
regards them as still fresh and recent4 
,i reached the ,burn of ,killein1--the  
scene of my purposed                    
explorations1--where it bisects the     
,inverness road2 and struck down the    
rocky ravine1 in the line of the        

descending strata and the falling       
streamlet1 towards the point at which ,i
 had crossed it so many years before4   
,first ,i passed along a thick bed of   
yellow stone1--next over a bed of       
stratified clay4 ,the little boy1 ,i    
said1 took correct note of what he saw1 
though without special aim at the time1 
and as much under the guidance of a mere
 observative instinct as ,dame ,quickly1
 when she took note of the sea-coal     
fire1 the round table1 the parcel-gilt  
goblet1 and goodwife ,keech's dish of   
prawns dressed in vinegar1 as adjuncts  
of her interview with old ,sir ,john    
when he promised to marry her4 ,these   
are unequivocally the ichthyolitic beds1
 whether they contain ichthyolites or   
no4 ,the first nodule ,i laid open      
presented inside merely a pale oblong   
patch in the centre1 which ,i examined  
in vain with the lens1 though convinced 
of its organic origin1 for a single     
scale4 ,proceeding farther down the     
stream1 ,i picked a nodule out of a     

second and lower bed1 which contained   
more evidently its organism1--a         
finely-reticulated fragment1 that at    
first sight reminded me of some delicate
 festinella of the ,silurian system4 ,it
 proved1 however1 to be part of the tail
 of a ,cheiracanthus1 exhibiting--what  
is rarely shown--the interior surfaces  
of those minute rectangular scales which
 in this genus lie over the caudal fin1 
ranged in right lines4 ,a second nodule 
presented me with the spines of         
,diplacanthus striatus2 and still       
farther down the stream1--for the beds  
are numerous here1 and occupy in        
vertical extent very considerable space 
in the system1--,i detected a stratum of
 bulky nodules charged with fragments of
 ,coccosteus1 belonging chiefly to two  
species1--,coccosteus decipiens and     
,coccosteus cuspidatus4 ,all the        
specimens bore conclusive evidence      
regarding the geologic place and        
character of the beds in which they     
occur2 and in one of the number1 a      

specimen of ,coccosteus decipiens1      
sufficiently fine to be transferred to  
my knapsack1 and which now occupies its 
corner in my little collection1 the head
 exhibits all its plates in their proper
 order1 and the large dorsal plate1     
though dissociated from the nail-like   
attachment of the nape1 presents its    
characteristic breadth entire4 ,it was  
the plates of this species1 first found 
in the flagstones of ,caithness1 which  
were taken for those of a fresh-water   
tortoise2 and hence apparently its      
specific name1 decipiens2--it is the    
deceiving ,coccosteus4 ,i disinterred1  
in the course of my explorations1 as    
many nodules as lay within reach1--now  
and then longing for a pickaxe1 and a   
companion robust and persevering enough 
to employ it with effect2 and after     
seeing all that was to be seen in the   
bed of the stream and the precipices1 ,i
 retraced my steps up the dell to the   
highway4 ,and then1 striking off across 
the moor to the north1--ascending in the

 system as ,i climbed the eminence1     
which forms here the central ridge of   
the old ,maolbuie ,common1--,i spent    
some little time in a quarry of pale red
 sandstone1 known1 from the moory height
 on which it has been opened1 as the    
quarry of the ,maolbuie4 ,but here1 as  
elsewhere1 the folds of that upper      
division of the ,lower ,old ,red in     
which it has been excavated contain     
nothing organic4 ,why this should be so 
universally the case1--for in           
,caithness1 ,orkney1 ,cromarty1 and     
,ross1 wherever1 in short1 this member  
of the system is unequivocally          
developed1 it is invariably barren of   
remains1--cannot1 ,i suspect1 be very   
satisfactorily explained4 ,fossils occur
 both over and under it1 in rocks that  
seem as little favorable to their       
preservation2 but during that           
intervening period which its blank      
strata represent1 at least the species  
of all the ichthyolites of the system   
seem to have changed1 and1 so far as is 

yet known1 the genus ,coccosteus died   
out entirely4  ,the ,black ,isle has    
been elaborately described in the last  
,statistical ,account of the ,parish of 
,avoch as comprising at least the       
analogues of three vast geologic        
systems4 ,the ,great ,conglomerate1 and 
the thick bed of coarse sandstone of    
corresponding character that lies over  
it1 compose all which is not primary    
rock of that south-eastern ridge of the 
district which forms the shores of the  
,moray ,frith2 and they are represented 
in the ,account as ,old ,red ,sandstone 
proper4 ,then1 next in order1--forming  
the base of a parallel ridge1--come     
those sandstone and argillaceous bands  
to which the ichthyolite beds belong2   
and these though at the time the work   
appeared their existence in the locality
 could be but guessed at1 are described 
as representatives of the ,coal         
,measures4 ,last of all there occur     
those superior sandstones of the ,lower 
,old ,red formation in which the quarry 

of the ,maolbuie has been opened1 and   
which are largely developed in the      
central or backbone ridge of the        
district4 ,and these1 says the writer1  
we have little hesitation in assigning  
to the ,new ,red1 or variegated         
,sandstone formation4 ,i remember that  
some thirteen years ago1--in part misled
 by authority1 and in part really afraid
 to represent beds of such an enormous  
aggregate thickness as all belonging to 
one inconsiderable formation1--for such 
was the character of the ,old ,red      
,sandstone at the time1--,i ventured1   
though hesitatingly1 and with less of   
detail1 on a somewhat similar statement 
regarding the sandstone deposits of the 
parish of ,cromarty4 ,but true it is1   
notwithstanding1 that the stratified    
rocks of the ,black ,isle are composed  
generally1 not of the analogues of three
 systems1 but of merely a fractional    
portion of a single system1--a fact     
previously established in other parts of
 the district1 and which my discovery of

 this day in the ,burn of ,killein      
served yet farther to confirm in        
relation to that middle portion of the  
tract in which the parish of ,avoch is  
situated4 ,the geologic records1 unlike 
the ,sybilline books1 grow in volume and
 number as one pauses and hesitates over
 them2 demanding1 however1 with every   
addition to their bulk1 a larger and yet
 larger sum of epochs and of ages4  ,the
 sun had got low in the western sky1 and
 ,i had at least some eight or nine     
miles of rough road still before me2 but
 the day had been a happy and not       
unsuccessful one1 and so its hard work  
had failed to fatigue4 ,the shadows1    
however1 were falling brown and deep on 
the bleak ,maolbuie1 as ,i passed1 on my
 return1 the solitary cairn2 and it was 
dark night long ere ,i reached          
,cromarty4 ,next morning ,i quitted the 
town for the upper reaches of the       
,frith1 to examine yet further the      
superficial deposits and travelled      
boulders of the district4  ,i landed at 

,invergordon a little after noon1 from  
the ,leith steamer1 that1 on its way to 
the upper ports of the ,moray and       
,dingwall ,friths1 stops at ,cromarty   
for passengers every ,wednesday2 and    
then passing direct through the village1
 ,i took the western road which winds   
along the shore towards ,strathpeffer1  
skirting on the right the ancient       
province of the ,munroes4 ,the day was  
clear and genial2 and the wide-spreading
 woods of this part of the country1 a   
little touched by their autumnal tints  
of brown and yellow1 gave a warmth of   
hue to the landscape1 which at an       
earlier season it wanted4 ,a few slim   
streaks of semi-transparent mist1 that  
barred the distant hill-peaks1 and a few
 towering piles of intensely white      
cloud1 that shot across the deep blue of
 the heavens1 gave warning that the     
earlier part of the day was to be in all
 probability the better part of it1 and 
that the harvest of observation which it
 was ultimately to yield might be found 

to depend on the prompt use made of the 
passing hour4 ,what first attracts the  
attention of the geologist1 in          
journeying westwards1 is the altered    
color of the boulder-clay1 as exhibited 
in ditches by the way-side1 or along the
 shore4 ,it no longer presents that     
characteristic red tint1--borrowed from 
the red sandstone beneath1--so prevalent
 over the ,black ,isle1 and in ,easter  
,ross generally2 but is of a cold leaden
 hue1 not unlike that which it wears    
above the ,coal ,measures of the south1 
or over the flagstones of ,caithness4   
,the altered color here is evidently a  
consequence of the large development1 in
 ,ferindonald and ,strathpeffer1 of the 
ichthyolitic members of the ,old ,red1  
existing chiefly as fetid bituminous    
breccias and dark-colored sandstones3   
the boulder-clay of the locality forms  
the dressings1 not of red1 but of       
blackish-gray rocks2 and1 as almost     
everywhere else in ,scotland1 its trail 
lies to the east of the strata1 from    

which it was detached in the character  
of an impalpable mud by the             
age-protracted grindings of the denuding
 agent4 ,it abounds in masses of        
bituminous breccia1 some of which1 of   
great size1 seem to have been drifted   
direct from the valley of ,strathpeffer1
 and are identical in structure and     
composition with the rock in which the  
mineral springs of the ,strath have     
their rise1 and to which they owe their 
peculiar qualities4  ,after walking on  
for about eight miles1 through noble    
woods and a lovely country1 ,i struck   
from off the high road at the pretty    
little village of ,evanton1 and pursued 
the course of the river ,auldgrande1    
first through intermingled fields and   
patches of copsewood1 and then through a
 thick fir wood1 to where the bed of the
 stream contracts from a boulder-strewed
 bottom of ample breadth1 to a gloomy   
fissure1 so deep and dark1 that in many 
places the water cannot be seen1 and so 
narrow1 that the trees which shoot out  

from the opposite sides interlace their 
branches atop4 ,large banks of the gray 
boulder-clay1 laid open by the river1   
and charged with fragments of dingy     
sandstone and dark-colored breccia1     
testify1 along the lower reaches of the 
stream1 to the near neighborhood of the 
ichthyolitic member of the ,old ,red2   
but where the banks contract1 we find   
only its lowest member1 the ,great      
,conglomerate4 ,this last is by far the 
most picturesque member of the          
system1--abrupt and bold of outline in  
its hills1 and mural in its precipices4 
,and nowhere does it exhibit a wilder or
 more characteristic beauty than at the 
tall narrow portal of the ,auldgrande1  
where the river1--after wailing for     
miles in a pent-up channel1 narrow as   
one of the lanes of old ,edinburgh1 and 
hemmed in by walls quite as             
perpendicular1 and nearly twice as      
lofty1--suddenly expands1 first into a  
deep brown pool1 and then into a broad  
tumbling stream1 that1 as if permanently

 affected in temper by the strict       
severity of the discipline to which its 
early life had been subjected1 frets and
 chafes in all its after course1 till it
 loses itself in the sea4 ,the banks1   
ere we reach the opening of the chasm1  
have become steep1 and wild1 and densely
 wooded2 and there stand out on either  
hand1 giant crags1 that plant their iron
 feet in the stream2 here girdled with  
belts of rank succulent shrubs1 that    
love the damp shade and the frequent    
drizzle of the spray2 and there hollow  
and bare1 with their round pebbles      
sticking out from the partially         
decomposed surface1 like the piled-up   
skulls in the great underground cemetery
 of the ,parisians4 ,massy trees1 with  
their green fantastic roots rising high 
over the scanty soil1 and forming many a
 labyrinthine recess for the frog1 the  
toad1 and the newt1 stretch forth their 
gnarled arms athwart the stream4 ,in    
front of the opening1 with but a black  
deep pool between1 there lies a midway  

bank of huge stones4 ,of these1 not a   
few of the more angular masses still    
bear1 though sorely worn by the torrent1
 the mark of the blasting iron1 and were
 evidently tumbled into the chasm from  
the fields above4 ,but in the chasm     
there was no rest for them1 and so the  
arrowy rush of the water in the confined
 channel swept them down till they      
dropped where they now lie1 just where  
the widening bottom first served to     
dissipate the force of the current4 ,and
 over the sullen pool in front we may   
see the stern pillars of the portal     
rising from eighty to a hundred feet in 
height1 and scarce twelve feet apart1   
like the massive obelisks of some       
,egyptian temple2 while1 in gloomy vista
 within1 projection starts out beyond   
projection1 like column beyond column in
 some narrow avenue of approach to      
,luxor or ,carnac4 ,the precipices are  
green1 with some moss or byssus1 that   
like the miner1 chooses a subterranean  
habitat1--for here the rays of the sun  

never fall2 the dead1 mossy water       
beneath1 from which the cliffs rise so  
abruptly1 bears the hue of molten pitch2
 the trees1 fast anchored in the rock1  
shoot out their branches across the     
opening1 to form a thick tangled roof1  
at the height of a hundred and fifty    
feet overhead2 while from the recesses  
within1 where the eye fails to          
penetrate1 there issues a combination of
 the strangest and wildest sounds ever  
yet produced by water3 there is the     
deafening rush of the torrent1 blent as 
if with the clang of hammers1 the roar  
of vast bellows1 and the confused gabble
 of a thousand voices4 ,the sun1        
hastening to its setting1 shone red1 yet
 mellow1 through the foliage of the     
wooded banks on the west1 where1 high   
above1 they first curve from the sloping
 level of the fields1 to bend over the  
stream2 or fell more direct on the      
jutting cliffs and bosky dingles        
opposite1 burnishing them as if with    
gold and fire2 but all was coldly-hued  

at the bottom1 where the torrent foamed 
gray and chill under the brown shadow of
 the banks2 and where the narrow portal 
opened an untrodden way into the        
mysterious recesses beyond1 the shadow  
deepened almost into blackness4 ,the    
scene lacked but a ghost to render it   
perfect4 ,an apparition walking from    
within like the genius in one of        
,goldsmith's essays along the surface of
 the water1 would have completed it at  
once4  ,laying hold of an overhanging   
branch1 ,i warped myself upwards from   
the bed of the stream along the face of 
a precipice1 and1 reaching its sloping  
top1 forced my way to the wood above1   
over a steep bank covered with tangled  
underwood1 and a slim succulent herbage1
 that sickened for want of the sun4 ,the
 yellow light was streaming through many
 a shaggy vista1 as1 threading my way   
along the narrow ravine as near the     
steep edge as the brokenness of the     
ground permitted1 ,i reached a huge mass
 of travelled rock1 that had been       

dropped in the old boulder period within
 a yard's length of the brink4 ,it is   
composed of a characteristic granitic   
gneiss of a pale flesh-color1 streaked  
with black1 that1 in the hand specimen1 
can scarce be distinguished from a true 
granite1 but which1 viewed in the mass1 
presents1 in the arrangement of its     
intensely dark mica1 evident marks of   
stratification1 and which is remarkable1
 among other things1 for furnishing     
almost all the very large boulders of   
this part of the country4 ,unlike many  
of the granitic gneisses1 it is a fine  
solid stone1 and would cut well4 ,when  
,i had last the pleasure of spending a  
few hours with the late ,mr4 ,william   
,laidlaw1 the trusted friend of ,sir    
,walter ,scott1 he intimated to me his  
intention1--pointing to a boulder of    
this species of gneiss1--of having it   
cut into two oblong pedestals1 with     
which he purposed flanking the entrance 
to the mansion-house of the chief of the
 ,rosses1--the gentleman whose property 

he at that time superintended4 ,it was1 
he said1 both in appearance and history1
 the most remarkable stone on the lands 
of ,balnagown2 and so he was desirous   
that it should be exhibited at          
,balnagown ,castle to the best          
advantage4 ,but as he fell shortly after
 into infirm health1 and resigned his   
situation1 ,i know not that he ever     
carried his purpose into effect4 ,the   
boulder here1 beside the chasm1 measures
 about twelve feet in length and        
breadth1 by from five to six in height1 
and contains from eight to nine hundred 
cubic feet of stone4 ,on its upper      
table-like surface ,i found a few       
patches of moss and lichen1 and a slim  
reddening tuft of the ,vaccinium        
myrtillus1 still bearing1 late as was   
the season1 its half-dozen blaeberries4 
,this pretty little plant occurs in     
great profusion along the steep edges of
 the ,auldgrande1 where its delicate    
bushes1 springing up amid long heath and
 ling1 and crimsoned by the autumnal    

tinge1 gave a peculiar warmth and       
richness this evening to those bosky    
spots under the brown trees1 or in      
immediate contact with the dark chasm on
 which the sunlight fell most strongly2 
and on all the more perilous            
projections1 ,i found the dark berries  
still shrivelling on their stems4       
,thirty years earlier ,i would scarce   
have left them there2 and the more      
perilous the crag on which they had     
grown1 the more deliciously would they  
have eaten4 ,but every period of life   
has its own playthings2 and ,i was now  
chiefly engaged with the deep chasm and 
the huge boulder4 ,chasm and boulder had
 come to have greatly more of interest  
to me than the delicate berries1 or than
 even that sovereign dispeller of ennui 
and low spirits1 an adventurous scramble
 among the cliffs4  ,in what state did  
the chasm exist when the huge           
boulder1--detached1 mayhap1 at the close
 of a severe frost1 from some island of 
the archipelago that is now the northern

 ,highlands of ,scotland1--was suffered 
to drop beside it1 from some vast       
ice-floe drifting eastwards on the tide8
 ,in all probability merely as a fault  
in the ,conglomerate1 similar to many of
 those faults which in the ,coal        
,measures of the southern districts we  
find occupied by continuous dikes of    
trap4 ,but in this northern region1     
where the trap-rocks are unknown1 it    
must have been filled up with the       
boulder-clay1 or with some still more   
ancient accumulation of debris4 ,and    
when the land had risen1 and the        
streams1 swollen into rivers1 flowed    
along the hollows which they now occupy1
 the loose rubbish would in the lapse of
 ages gradually wash downwards to the   
sea1 as the stones thrown from the      
fields above were washed downwards in a 
later time2 and thus the deep fissure   
would ultimately be cleared out4 ,the   
boulder-stones lie thickly in this      
neighborhood1 and over the eastern half 
of ,ross-shire1 and the ,black ,isle    

generally2 though for the last century  
they have been gradually disappearing   
from the more cultivated tracts on which
 there were fences or farm-steadings to 
be built1 or where they obstructed the  
course of the plough4 ,we found them    
occurring in every conceivable          
situation1--high on hill-sides1 where   
the shepherd crouches beside them for   
shelter in a shower1--deep in the open  
sea1 where they entangle the nets of the
 fisherman1--on inland moors1 where in  
some remote age they were painfully     
rolled together1 to form the ,druidical 
circle or ,picts'-house1--or on the     
margin of the coast1 where they had been
 piled over one another at a later time1
 as protecting bulwarks against the     
encroachments of the waves4 ,they lie   
strewed more sparingly over extended    
plains1 or on exposed heights1 than in  
hollows sheltered from the west by high 
land1 where the current1 when it dashed 
high on the hill-sides1 must have been  
diverted from its easterly course1 and  

revolved in whirling eddies4 ,on the top
 of the fine bluff hill of ,fyrish1     
which ,i so admired to-day1 each time ,i
 caught a glimpse of its purple front   
through the woods1 and which shows how  
noble a mountain the ,old ,red          
,sandstone may produce1 the boulders lie
 but sparsely4 ,i especially marked1    
however1 when last on its summit1 a     
ponderous traveller of a vividly green  
hornblende1 resting on a bed of pale    
yellow sandstone1 fully a thousand feet 
over the present high-water level4 ,but 
towards the east1 in what a seaman would
 term the bight of the hill1 the        
boulders have accumulated in vast       
numbers4 ,they lie so closely piled     
along the course of the river ,alness1  
about half a mile above the village1    
that it is with difficulty the waters1  
when in flood1 can force their passage  
through4 ,for here1 apparently1 when the
 tide swept along the hill-side1 many an
 ice-floe1 detained in the shelter by   
the revolving eddy1 dashed together in  

rude collision1 and shook their stony   
burdens to the bottom4 ,immediately to  
the east of the low promontory on which 
the town of ,cromarty is built there is 
another extensive accumulation of       
boulders1 some of them of great size4   
,they occupy exactly the place to which 
,i have oftener than once seen the      
drift-ice of the upper part of the      
,cromarty ,frith1 set loose by a thaw1  
and then carried seawards by the        
retreating tide1 forced back by a       
violent storm from1 the east1 and the   
fragments ground against each other into
 powder4 ,and here1 ,i doubt not1 of    
old1 when the sea stood greatly higher  
than now1 and the ice-floes were        
immensely larger and more numerous than 
those formed1 in the existing           
circumstances1 in the upper shallows of 
the ,frith1 would the fierce north-east 
have charged home with similar effect1  
and the broken masses have divested     
themselves of their boulders4  ,the     
,highland chieftain of one of our old   

,gaelic traditions conversed with a     
boulder-stone1 and told to it the story 
which he had sworn never to tell to man4
 ,i too1 after a sort1 have conversed   
with boulder-stones1 not1 however1 to   
tell them any story of mine1 but to urge
 them to tell theirs to me4 ,but1       
lacking the fine ear of ,hans ,anderson1
 the ,danish poet1 who can hear flowers 
and butterflies talk1 and understand the
 language of birds1 ,i have as yet      
succeeded in extracting from them no    
such articulate reply   ,as ,memnon's   
image1 long renowned of old  ,by fabling
 ,nilus1 to the quivering touch  ,of    
,titan's ray1 with each repulsive string
  ,consenting1 sounded through the      
warbling air4  ,and yet1 who can doubt  
that1 were they a little more           
communicative1 their stories of movement
 in the past1 with the additional       
circumstances connected with the places 
which they have occupied ever since they
 gave over travelling1 would be         
exceedingly curious ones8 ,among the    

boulder group to the east of ,cromarty1 
the most ponderous individual stands so 
exactly on the low-water line of our    
great ,lammas tides1 that though its    
shoreward edge may be reached dry-shod  
from four to six times every            
twelvemonth1 no one has ever succeeded  
in walking dry shod round it4 ,i have   
seen a strong breeze from the west1     
prolonged for a few days1 prevent its   
drying1 when the ,lammas stream was at  
its point of lowest ebb1 by from a foot 
to eighteen inches1--an indication1     
apparently1 that to that height the     
waters of the ,atlantic may be heaped up
 against our shores by the impulsion of 
the wind4 ,and the recurrence1 during at
 least the last century1 of certain ebbs
 each season1 which1 when no disturbing 
atmospheric phenomena interfere with    
their operation1 are sure to lay it dry1
 demonstrate1 that during that period no
 change1 even the most minute1 has taken
 place on our coasts1 in the relative   
levels of sea and shore4 ,the waves have

 considerably encroached1 during even   
the last half-century1 on the shores    
immediately opposite2 but it must have  
been1 as the stone shows1 simply by the 
attrition of the waves1 and the         
consequent lowering of the beach1--not  
through any rise in the ocean1 or any   
depression of the land4  ,the huge      
boulder here has been known for ages as 
the ,clach ,malloch1 or accursed stone1 
from the circumstance1 says tradition1  
that a boat was once wrecked upon it    
during a storm1 and the boatmen drowned4
 ,though little more than seven feet in 
height1 by about twelve in length1 and  
some eight or nine in breadth1 its      
situation on the extreme line of ebb    
imparts a peculiar character to the     
various productions1 animal and         
vegetable1 which we find adhering to it4
 ,they occur in zones1 just as on lofty 
hills the botanist finds his            
agricultural1 moorland1 and alpine zones
 rising in succession as he ascends1 the
 one over the other4 ,at its base1 where

 the tide rarely falls1 we find two     
varieties of ,lobularia digitata1 dead  
man's hand1 the orange colored and the  
pale1 with a species of sertularia2 and 
the characteristic vegetable is the     
rough-stemmed tangle1 or cuvy4 ,in the  
zone immediately above the lowest1 these
 productions disappear2 the             
characteristic animal1 if animal it be1 
is a flat yellow sponge1--the           
,halichondria papillaris1--remarkable   
chiefly for its sharp siliceous spicula 
and its strong phosphoric smell2 and the
 characteristic vegetable is the        
smooth-stemmed tangle1 or queener4 ,in  
yet another zone we find the common     
limpet and the vesicular kelp-weed2 and 
the small gray balanus and serrated     
kelp-weed form the productions of the   
top4 ,we may see exactly the same zones 
occurring in broad belts along the      
shore1--each zone indicative of a       
certain overlying depth of water2 but it
 seems curious enough to find them all  
existing in succession on one boulder4  

,of the boulder and its story1 however1 
more in my next4     ,,chapter ,,viii4  
,imaginary ,autobiography of the ,clach 
,malloch ,boulder--,its                 
,creation--,its long night of unsummed  
,centuries--,laid open to light      on 
a desert ,island--,surrounded by an     
,arctic ,vegetation--,undermined      by
 the rising ,sea--,locked up and floated
 off on an ,ice-field--,at      rest on 
the ,sea-bottom--,another ,night of     
unsummed ,years--,the      ,boulder     
raised again above the waves by the     
rising of the      ,land--,beholds an   
altered ,country--,pine ,forests and    
,mammals--,another      ,period of ,ages
 passes--,the ,boulder again floated off
 by an      ,iceberg--,finally at rest  
on the ,shore of ,cromarty ,bay--,time  
and      ,occasion of naming            
it--,strange ,phenomena accounted for by
      ,earthquakes--,how the ,boulder of
 ,petty ,bay was moved--,the ,boulder of
      ,auldgrande--,the old ,highland   
,paupers--,the little ,parsi ,girl--,her

      ,letter to her ,papa--,but one    
,human ,nature on ,earth--,journey      
resumed--,conon ,burying ,ground--,an   
aged ,couple--,gossip4  ,the natural1   
and1 if ,i may so speak1 topographical1 
history of the ,clach                   
,malloch1--including1 of course1 its    
zoology and botany1 with notes of those 
atmospheric effects on the tides1 and of
 that stability for ages of the existing
 sea-level1 which it indicates1--would  
of itself form one very interesting     
chapter3 its geological history would   
furnish another4 ,it would probably     
tell1 if it once fairly broke silence   
and became autobiographical1 first of a 
feverish dream of intense molten heat   
and overpowering pressure2 and then of a
 busy time1 in which the free molecules1
 as at once the materials and the       
artisans of the mass1 began to build1   
each according to its nature1 under the 
superintendence of a curious            
chemistry1--here forming sheets of black
 mica1 there rhombs of a dark-green     

hornblende and a flesh-colored feldspar1
 yonder amorphous masses of a           
translucent quartz4 ,it would add       
further1 that at length1 when the slow  
process was over1 and the entire space  
had been occupied to the full by plate1 
molecule1 and crystal1 the red fiery    
twilight of the dream deepened into more
 than midnight gloom1 and a chill       
unconscious night descended on the      
sleeper4 ,the vast ,palaeozoic period   
passes by1--the scarce less protracted  
,secondary ages come to a close1--the   
,eocene1 ,miocene1 ,pliocene epochs are 
ushered in and terminate1--races begin  
and end1--families and orders are born  
and die2 but the dead1 or those whose   
deep slumber admits not of dreams1 take 
no note of time2 and so it would tell   
how its long night of unsummed centuries
 seemed1 like the long night of the     
grave1 compressed into a moment4  ,the  
marble silence is suddenly broken by the
 rush of an avalanche1 that tears away  
the superincumbent masses1 rolling them 

into the sea2 and the ponderous block1  
laid open to the light1 finds itself on 
the bleak shore of a desert island of   
the northern ,scottish archipelago1 with
 a wintry scene of snow-covered peaks   
behind1 and an ice-mottled ocean before4
 ,the winter passes1 the cold severe    
spring comes on1 and day after day the  
field-ice goes floating by1--now gray in
 shadow1 now bright in the sun4 ,at     
length vegetation1 long repressed1      
bursts forth1 but in no profuse         
luxuriance4 ,a few dwarf birches unfold 
their leaves amid the rocks2 a few      
sub-arctic willows hang out their       
catkins beside the swampy runnels2 the  
golden potentilla opens its bright      
flowers on slopes where the evergreen   
,empetrum nigrum slowly ripens its      
glossy crow-berries2 and from where the 
sea-spray dashes at full tide along the 
beach1 to where the snow gleams at      
midsummer on the mountain-summits1 the  
thin short sward is dotted by the minute
 cruciform stars of the scurvy-grass1   

and the crimson blossoms of the         
sea-pink4 ,not a few of the plants of   
our existing sea-shores and of our      
loftier hill-tops are still identical in
 species2 but wide zones of rich        
herbage1 with many a fertile field and  
many a stately tree1 intervene between  
the bare marine belts and the bleak     
insulated eminences2 and thus the       
alpine1 notwithstanding its identity    
with the littoral flora1 has been long  
divorced from it2 but in this early time
 the divorce had not yet taken place1   
nor for ages thereafter2 and the same   
plants that sprang around the sea-margin
 rose also along the middle slopes to   
the mountain-summits4 ,the landscape is 
treeless and bare1 and a hoary lichen   
whitens the moors1 and waves1 as the    
years pass by1 in pale tufts1 from the  
disinterred stone1 now covered with     
weather-stains1 green and gray1 and     
standing out in bold and yet bolder     
relief from the steep hill-side as the  
pulverizing frosts and washing rains    

bear away the lesser masses from around 
it4 ,the sea is slowly rising1 and the  
land1 in proportion1 narrowing its      
flatter margins1 and yielding up its    
wider valleys to the tide2 the low green
 island of one century forms the        
half-tide skerry1 darkened with algae1  
of another1 and in yet a third exists   
but as a deep-sea rock4 ,as its summit  
disappears1 groups of hills1 detached   
from the land1 become islands1 skerries1
 deep-sea rocks1 in turn4 ,at length the
 waves at full wash within a few yards  
of the granitic block4 ,and now1        
yielding to the undermining influences1 
just as a blinding snow-shower is       
darkening the heavens1 it comes         
thundering down the steep into the sea1 
where it lies immediately beneath the   
high-water line1 surrounded by a wide   
float of pulverized ice1 broken by the  
waves4 ,a keen frost sets in2 the       
half-fluid mass around is bound up for  
many acres into a solid raft1 that      
clasps fast in its rigid embrace the    

rocky fragment2 a stream-tide1          
heightened by a strong gale from the    
west1 rises high on the beach2 the      
consolidated ice-field moves1 floats1 is
 detached from the shore1 creeps slowly 
outwards into the offing1 bearing atop  
the boulder2 and1 finally1 caught by the
 easterly current1 it drifts away into  
the open ocean4 ,and then1 far from its 
original bed in the rock1 amid the      
jerkings of a cockling sea1 the mass    
breaks through the supporting float1 and
 settles far beneath1 amid the green and
 silent twilight of the bottom1 where   
its mosses and lichens yield their place
 to stony encrustations of deep purple1 
and to miniature thickets of arboraceous
 zoophites4  ,the many-colored          
,acalephae float by2 the many-armed     
,sepiadae shoot over2 while shells that 
love the profounder depths1--the black  
,modiola and delicate ,anomia1--anchor  
along the sides of the mass2 and where  
thickets of the deep-sea tangle spread  
out their long1 streamer-like fronds to 

the tide1 the strong ,cyprina and       
many-ribbed ,astarte shelter by scores  
amid the reticulations of the short     
woody stems and thick-set roots4 ,a     
sudden darkness comes on1 like that     
which fell upon ,sinbad when the        
gigantic roc descended upon him2 the    
sea-surface is fully sixty fathoms over 
head2 but even at this great depth an   
enormous iceberg grates heavily against 
the bottom1 crushing into fragments in  
its course1 ,cyprina1 ,modiola1         
,astarte1 with many a hapless mollusc   
besides2 and furrows into deep grooves  
the very rocks on which they lie4 ,it   
passes away2 and1 after many an unsummed
 year has also passed1 there comes      
another change4 ,the period of          
depression and of the boulder-clay is   
over4 ,the water has shallowed as the   
sea-line gradually sank1 or the land was
 propelled upwards by some elevatory    
process from below2 and each time the   
tide falls1 the huge boulder now raises 
over the waters its broad forehead1     

already hung round with flowing tresses 
of brown sea-weed1 and looks at the     
adjacent coast4 ,the country has        
strangely altered its features3 it      
exists no longer as a broken            
archipelago1 scantily covered by a      
semi-arctic vegetation1 but as a        
continuous land1 still whitened1 where  
the great valleys open to the sea1 by   
the pale gleam of local glaciers1 and   
snow-streaked on its loftier hill-tops4 
,but vast forests of dark pine sweep    
along its hill-sides or selvage its     
shores2 and the sheltered hollows are   
enlivened by the lighter green of the   
oak1 the ash1 and the elm4 ,human foot  
has not yet imprinted its sward2 but its
 brute inhabitants have become numerous4
 ,the cream-colored coat of the wild    
bull1--a speck of white relieved against
 a ground of dingy green1--may be seen  
far amid the pines1 and the long howl of
 the wolf heard from the nearer         
thickets4 ,the gigantic elk raises      
himself from his lair1 and tosses his   

ponderous horns at the sound2 while the 
beaver1 in some sequestered dell        
traversed by a streamlet1 plunges       
alarmed into his deep coffer-dam1 and1  
rising through the submerged opening of 
his cell1 shelters safely within1 beyond
 reach of pursuit4 ,the great transverse
 valleys of the country1 from its       
eastern to its western coasts1 are still
 occupied by the sea1--they exist as    
broad ocean-sounds2 and many of the     
detached hills rise around its shores as
 islands4 ,the northern ,sutor forms a  
bluff high island1 for the plains of    
,easter ,ross are still submerged2 and  
the ,black ,isle is in reality what in  
later times it is merely in name1--a    
sea-encircled district1 holding a midway
 place between where the ,sound of the  
great ,caledonian ,valley and the       
,sounds of the ,valleys of the ,conon   
and ,carron open into the ,german       
,ocean4 ,though the climate has greatly 
softened1 it is still1 as the local     
glaciers testify1 ungenial and severe4  

,winter protracts his stay through the  
later months of spring2 and still1 as of
 old1 vast floats of ice1 detached from 
the glaciers1 or formed in the lakes and
 shallower estuaries of the interior1   
come drifting down the ,sounds every    
season1 and disappear in the open sea1  
or lie stranded along the shores4  ,ages
 have again passed3 the huge boulder1   
from the further sinking of the waters1 
lies dry throughout the neaps1 and is   
covered only at the height of each      
stream-tide2 there is a float of ice    
stranded on the beach1 which            
consolidates around it during the neap1 
and is floated off by the stream2 and   
the boulder1 borne in its midst1 as of  
old1 again sets out a voyaging4 ,it has 
reached the narrow opening of the       
,sutors1 swept downwards by the strong  
ebb current1 when a violent storm from  
the north-east sets in2 and1 constrained
 by antagonist forces1--the sweep of the
 tide on the one hand1 and the roll of  
the waves on the other1--the ice-raft   

deflects into the little bay that lies  
to the east of the promontory now       
occupied by the town of ,cromarty4 ,and 
there it tosses1 with a hundred more    
jostling in rude collision2 and at      
length bursting apart1 the ,clach       
,malloch1 its journeyings forever over1 
settles on its final resting-place4 ,in 
a period long posterior it saw the      
ultimate elevation of the land4 ,who    
shall dare say how much more it         
witnessed1 or decide that it did not    
form the centre of a rich forest        
vegetation1 and that the ivy did not    
cling round it1 and the wild rose shed  
its petals over it1 when the ,dingwall1 
,moray1 and ,dornoch ,friths existed as 
sub-aerial valleys1 traversed by streams
 that now enter the sea far apart1 but  
then gathered themselves into one vast  
river1 that1 after it had received the  
tributary waters of the ,shin and the   
,conon1 the ,ness and the ,beauly1 the  
,helmsdale1 the ,brora1 the ,findhorn1  
and the ,spey1 rolled on through the    

flat secondary formations of the outer  
,moray ,frith1--,lias1 and ,oolite1 and 
,greensand1 and ,chalk1--to fall into a 
gulf of the ,northern ,ocean which      
intervened between the coasts of        
,scotland and ,norway1 but closed nearly
 opposite the mouth of the ,tyne1       
leaving a broad level plain to connect  
the coasts of ,england with those of the
 ,continent6 ,be this as it may1 the    
present sea-coast became at length the  
common boundary of land and sea4 ,and   
the boulder continued to exist for      
centuries still later as a nameless     
stone1 on which the tall gray heron     
rested moveless and ghost-like in the   
evenings1 and the seal at mid-day basked
 lazily in the sun4 ,and then there came
 a night of fierce tempest1 in which the
 agonizing cry of drowning men was heard
 along the shore4 ,when the morning     
broke1 there lay strewed around a few   
bloated corpses1 and the fragments of a 
broken wreck2 and amid wild execrations 
and loud sorrow the boulder received its

 name4 ,such is the probable history1   
briefly told1 because touched at merely 
a few detached points1 of the huge      
,clach ,malloch4 ,the incident of the   
second voyage here is of course         
altogether imaginary1 in relation to at 
least this special boulder2 but it is to
 second voyages only that all our       
positive evidence testifies in the      
history of its class4 ,the boulders of  
the ,st4 ,lawrence1 so well described by
 ,sir ,charles ,lyell1 voyage by        
thousands every year2#ah and there are  
few of my northern readers who have not 
heard of the short trip taken nearly    
half a century ago by the boulder of    
,petty ,bay1 in the neighborhood of     
,culloden4  ,a ,highland minister of the
 last century1 in describing1 for ,sir  
,john ,sinclair's ,statistical ,account1
 a large sepulchral cairn in his parish1
 attributed its formation to an         
earthquake6 ,earthquakes1 in these      
latter times1 are introduced1 like the  
heathen gods of old1 to bring authors   

out of difficulties4 ,i do not think1   
however1--and ,i have the authority of  
the old critic for at least half the    
opinion1--that either gods or           
earthquakes should be resorted to by    
poets or geologists1 without special    
occasion3 they ought never to be called 
in except as a last resort1 when there  
is no way of getting on without them4   
,and ,i am afraid there have been few   
more gratuitous invocations of the      
earthquake than on a certain occasion1  
some five years ago1 when it was        
employed by the inmate of a             
north-country manse1 at once to account 
for the removal of the boulder-stone of 
,petty ,bay1 and to annihilate at a blow
 the geology of the ,free ,church editor
 of the ,witness4 ,i had briefly stated 
in one of my papers1 in referring to    
this curious incident1 that the boulder 
of the bay had been borne nearly three  
hundred yards outwards into the sea by  
an enclasping mass of ice1 in the course
 of a single tide4 ,not at all1 said the

 northern clergyman2 the cause assigned 
is wholly insufficient to produce such  
an effect4 ,all the ice ever formed in  
the bay would be insufficient to remove 
such a boulder a distance1 not of three 
hundred1 but even of three yards4 ,the  
removal of the stone is referrible to an
 ,,earthquake6 ,the country1 it would   
seem1 took a sudden lurch1 and the stone
 tumbled off4 ,it fell athwart the flat 
surface of the bay1 as a soup tureen    
sometimes falls athwart the table of a  
storm-beset steamer1 vastly to the      
discomfort of the passengers1 and again 
caught the ground as the land righted4  
,ingenious1 certainly6 ,it does appear a
 little wonderful1 however1 that in a   
shock so tremendous nothing should have 
fallen off except the stone4 ,in an     
earthquake on an equally great scale1 in
 the present unsettled state of society1
 endowed clergymen would1 ,i am afraid1 
be in some danger of falling out of     
their charges4  ,the boulder beside the 
,auldgrande has not only1 like the      

,clach ,malloch1 a geologic history of  
its own1 but1 what some may deem of     
perhaps equal authority1 a mythologic   
history also4 ,the inaccessible chasm1  
impervious to the sun1 and ever         
resounding the wild howl of the tortured
 water1 was too remarkable an object to 
have escaped the notice of the old      
imaginative ,celts2 and they have       
married it1 as was their wont1 to a set 
of stories quite as wild as itself4 ,and
 the boulder1 occupying a nearly central
 position in its course1 just where the 
dell is deepest1 and narrowest1 and     
blackest1 and where the stream bellows  
far underground in its wildest          
combination of tones1 marks out the spot
 where the more extraordinary incidents 
have happened1 and the stranger sights  
have been seen4 ,immediately beside the 
stone there is what seems to be the     
beginning of a path leading down to the 
water2 but it stops abruptly at a       
tree1--the last in the descent1--and the
 green and dewy rock sinks beyond for   

more than a hundred feet1 perpendicular 
as a wall4 ,it was at the abrupt        
termination of this path that a         
,highlander once saw a beautiful child  
smiling and stretching out its little   
hand to him1 as it hung half in air by a
 slender twig4 ,but he well knew that it
 was no child1 but an evil spirit1 and  
that if he gave it the assistance which 
it seemed to crave1 he would be pulled  
headlong into the chasm1 and never heard
 of more4 ,and the boulder still bears1 
it is said1 on its side1--though ,i     
failed this evening to detect the       
mark1--the stamp1 strangely impressed1  
of the household keys of ,balconie4#ai  
,the sun had now got as low upon the    
hill1 and the ravine had grown as dark1 
as when1 so long before1 the lady of    
,balconie took her last walk along the  
sides of the ,auldgrande2 and ,i struck 
up for the little alpine bridge of a few
 undressed logs1 which has been here    
thrown across the chasm1 at the height  
of a hundred and thirty feet over the   

water4 ,as ,i pressed through the thick 
underwood1 ,i startled a strange-looking
 apparition in one of the open spaces   
beside the gulf1 where1 as shown by the 
profusion of plants of vaccinium1 the   
blaeberries had greatly abounded in     
their season4 ,it was that of an        
extremely old woman1 cadaverously pale  
and miserable looking1 with dotage      
glistening in her inexpressive1         
rheum-distilling eyes1 and attired in a 
blue cloak1 that had been homely when at
 its best1 and was now exceedingly      
tattered4 ,she had been poking with her 
crutch among the bushes1 as if looking  
for berries2 but my approach had alarmed
 her2 and she stood muttering in ,gaelic
 what seemed1 from the tones and        
repetition1 to be a few deprecatory     
sentences4 ,i addressed her in ,english1
 and inquired what could have brought to
 a place so wild and lonely1 one so     
feeble and helpless4 ,poor object6 she  
muttered in reply1--poor object6--very  
hungry2 but her scanty ,english could   

carry her no further4 ,i slipped into   
her hand a small piece of silver1 for   
which she overwhelmed me with thanks and
 blessings2 and1 bringing her to one of 
the broader avenues1 traversed by a road
 which leads out of the wood1 ,i saw her
 fairly entered upon the path in the    
right direction1 and then1 retracing my 
steps crossed the log-bridge4 ,the old  
woman1--little1 ,i should suppose from  
her appearance1 under ninety1--was ,i   
doubt not1 one of our ill-provided      
,highland paupers1 that starve under a  
law which1 while it has dried up the    
genial streams of voluntary charity in  
the country and presses hard upon the   
means of the humbler classes1 alleviates
 little1 if at all1 the sufferings of   
the extreme poor4 ,amid present         
suffering and privation there had       
apparently mingled in her dotage some   
dream of early enjoyment1--a dream of   
the days when she had plucked berries1 a
 little herd-girl1 on the banks of the  
,auldgrande2 and the vision seemed to   

have sent her out1 far advanced in her  
second childhood1 to poke among the     
bushes with her crutch4  ,my old friend 
the minister of ,alness1--uninstalled at
 the time in his new dwelling1--was     
residing in a house scarce half a mile  
from the chasm1 to which he had removed 
from the parish manse at the            
,disruption2 and1 availing myself of an 
invitation of long standing1 ,i climbed 
the acclivity on which it stands1 to    
pass the night with him4 ,i found1      
however1 that with part of his family1  
he had gone to spend a few weeks beside 
the mineral springs of ,strathpeffer1 in
 the hope of recruiting a constitution  
greatly weakened by excessive labor1 and
 that the entire household at home      
consisted of but two of the young ladies
 his daughters1 and their ward1 the     
little ,buchubai ,hormazdji4  ,and who1 
asks the reader1 is this ,buchubai      
,hormazdji8 ,a little ,parsi girl1 in   
her eighth year1 the daughter of a      
,christian convert from the ancient     

faith of ,zoroaster1 who now labors in  
the ,free ,church ,mission at ,bombay4  
,buchubai1 his only child1 was on his   
conversion1 forcibly taken from him by  
his relatives1 but restored again by a  
,british court of law2 and he had       
secured her safety by sending her to    
,europe1 a voyage of many thousand      
miles1 with a lady1 the wife of one of  
our ,indian missionaries1 to whom she   
had become attached1 as her second but  
true mamma1 and with whose sisters ,i   
now found her4 ,the little girl1 sadly  
in want of a companion this evening1 was
 content1 for lack of a better1 to      
accept of me as a playfellow2 and she   
showed me all her rich eastern dresses1 
and all her toys1 and a very fine       
emerald1 set in the oriental fashion1   
which1 when she was in full costume1    
sparkled from her embroidered tiara4 ,i 
found her exceedingly like little girls 
at home1 save that she seemed more than 
ordinarily observant and intelligent1--a
 consequence mayhap1 of that early      

development1 physical and mental1 which 
characterizes her race4 ,she submitted  
to me1 too1 when ,i had got very much   
into her confidence1 a letter she had   
written to her papa from ,strathpeffer1 
which was to be sent him by the next    
,indian mail4 ,and as it may serve to   
show that the style of little girls     
whose fathers were fire-worshippers for 
three thousand years and more differs in
 no perceptible quality from the style  
of little girls whose fathers in        
considerably less than three thousand   
were ,pagans1 ,papists1 and ,protestants
 by turns1 besides passing through the  
various intermediate forms of belief1 ,i
 must1 after pledging the reader to     
strict secrecy1 submit it to his        
perusal3--  ,my dearest ,papa1--,i hope 
you are quite well4 ,i am visiting mamma
 at present at ,strathpeffer4 ,she is   
much better now than when she was       
travelling4 ,mamma's sisters give their 
love to you1 and mamma1 and ,mr4 and    
,mrs4 ,f4 also4 ,they all ask you to    

pray for them1 and they will pray also4 
,there are a great many at water here   
for sick people to drink out of4 ,the   
smell of the water is not at all nice4  
,i sometimes drink it4 ,give my dearest 
love to ,narsion ,skishadre1 and tell   
her that ,i will write to her4--,dearest
 papa1 etc4  ,it was a simple thought1  
which required no reach of mind whatever
 to grasp1--and yet an hour spent with  
little ,buchubai made it tell upon me   
more powerfully than ever before1--that 
there is in reality but one human nature
 on the face of the earth4 ,had ,i      
simply read of ,buchubai ,hormazdji     
corresponding with her father ,hormazdji
 ,pestonji1 and sending her dear love to
 her old companion ,narsion ,skishadre1 
the names so specifically different from
 those which we ourselves employ in     
designating our country folk1 would     
probably have led me1 through a false   
association1 to regard the parties to   
which they attach as scarcely less      
specifically different from our country 

folk themselves4 ,i suspect we are      
misled by associations of this kind when
 we descant on the peculiarities of race
 as interposing insurmountable barriers 
to the progress of improvement1 physical
 or mental4 ,we overlook1 amid the      
diversities of form1 color1 and         
language1 the specific identity of the  
human family4 ,the ,celt1 for instance1 
wants1 it is said1 those powers of      
sustained application which so          
remarkably distinguish the ,saxon2 and  
so we agree on the expediency of getting
 rid of our poor ,highlanders by        
expatriation as soon as possible1 and of
 converting their country into          
sheep-walks and hunting-parks4 ,it would
 be surely well to have philosophy      
enough to remember what1 simply through 
the exercise of a wise faith1 the       
,christian missionary never forgets1    
that the peculiarities of race are not  
specific and ineradicable1 but mere     
induced habits and idiosyncracies       
engrafted on the stock of a common      

nature by accident of circumstance or   
development2 and that1 as they have been
 wrought into the original tissue       
through the protracted operation of one 
set of causes1 the operation of another 
and different set1 wisely and           
perseveringly directed1 could scarce    
fail to unravel and work them out again4
 ,they form no part of the inherent     
design of man's nature1 but have merely 
stuck to it in its transmissive passage 
downwards and require to be brushed off4
 ,there was a time1 some four thousand  
years ago1 when ,celt and ,saxon were   
represented by but one man and his wife1
 with their children and their          
children's wives2 and some sixteen or   
seventeen centuries earlier all the     
varieties of the species1--,caucasian   
and ,negro1 ,mongolian and ,malay1--lay 
close packed up in the world's single   
family4 ,in short1 ,buchubai's amusing  
prattle proved to me this evening no bad
 commentary on ,st4 ,paul's sublime     
enunciation to the ,athenians1 that ,god

 has made of one blood all nations of   
men to dwell on all the face of the     
earth4 ,i was amused to find that the   
little girl1 who listened intently as ,i
 described to the young ladies all ,i   
had seen and knew of the ,auldgrande1   
had never before heard of a ghost1 and  
could form no conception of one now4    
,the ladies explained1 described1       
defined2 carefully guarding all they    
said1 however1 by stern disclaimers     
against the ghost theory altogether1 but
 apparently to little purpose4 ,at      
length ,buchubai exclaimed1 that she now
 knew what they meant1 and that she     
herself had seen a great many ghosts in 
,india4 ,on explanation1 however1 her   
ghosts1 though quite frightful enough1  
turned out to be not at all spiritual3  
they were things of common occurrence in
 the land she had come from1--exposed   
bodies of the dead4  ,next morning--as  
the white clouds and thin mist-streaks  
of the preceding day had fairly         
foretold--was close and wet2 and the    

long trail of vapor which rises from the
 chasm of the ,auldgrande in such       
weather1 and is known to the people of  
the neighborhood as the smoke of the    
lady's baking1 hung1 snake-like1 over   
the river4 ,about two o'clock the rain  
ceased1 hesitatingly and doubtfully1    
however1 as if it did not quite know its
 own mind2 and there arose no breeze to 
shake the dank grass1 or to dissipate   
the thin mist-wreath that continued to  
float over the river under a sky of deep
 gray4 ,but the ladies1 with ,buchubai1 
impatient to join their friends at      
,strathpeffer1 determined on journeying 
notwithstanding2 and1 availing myself of
 their company and their vehicle1 ,i    
travelled on with them to ,dingwall1    
where we parted4 ,i had purposed        
exploring the gray dingy sandstones and 
fetid breccias developed along the      
shores on the northern side of the bay1 
about two miles from the town1 and on   
the sloping acclivities between the     
mansion-houses of ,tulloch and ,fowlis2 

but the day was still unfavorable1 and  
the sections seemed untemptingly        
indifferent2 besides1 ,i could entertain
 no doubt that the dingy beds here are  
identical in place with those of        
,cadboll on the coast of ,easter ,ross1 
which they closely resemble1 and which  
alternate with the lower ichthyolitic   
beds of the ,old ,red ,sandstone2 and   
so1 for the present at least1 ,i gave up
 my intention of exploring them4  ,in   
the evening1 the sun1 far gone down     
towards its place of setting1 burst     
forth in great beauty2 and1 under the   
influence of a kindly breeze from the   
west1 just strong enough to shake the   
wet leaves1 the sky flung off its thick 
mantle of gray4 ,i sauntered out along  
the high-road1 in the direction of my   
old haunts at ,conon-side1 with1        
however1 no intention of walking so far4
 ,but the reaches of the river1 a little
 in flood1 shone temptingly through the 
dank foliage1 and the cottages under the
 ,conon woods glittered clear on their  

sweeping hill-side1 looking cheerily out
 into the landscape2 and so ,i wandered 
on and on1 over the bridge1 and along   
the river1 and through the pleasure     
grounds of ,conon-house1 till ,i found  
myself in the old solitary              
burying-ground beside the ,conon1 which1
 when last in this part of the country1 
,i was prevented from visiting by the   
swollen waters4 ,the rich yellow light  
streamed through the interstices of the 
tall hedge of forest-trees that         
encircles the eminence1 once an island1 
and fell in fantastic patches on the    
gray tombstone and the graves4 ,the     
ruinous little chapel in the corner1    
whose walls a quarter of a century      
before ,i had distinctly traced1 had    
sunk into a green mound2 and there      
remained over the sward but the         
arch-stone of a ,gothic window1 with a  
portion of the moulded transom attached1
 to indicate the character and style of 
the vanished building4 ,the old         
dial-stone1 with the wasted gnomon1 has 

also disappeared2 and the few           
bright-colored throch-stanes1 raw from  
the chisel1 that had been added of late 
years to the group of older standing1   
did not quite make up for what time in  
the same period had withdrawn4 ,one of  
the newer inscriptions1 however1        
recorded a curious fact4 ,when ,i had   
resided in this part of the country so  
long before1 there was an aged couple in
 the neighborhood1 who had lived        
together1 it was said1 as man and wife1 
for more than sixty years3 and now1 here
 was their tombstone and epitaph4 ,they 
had lived on long after my departure2   
and when1 as the seasons passed1 men and
 women whose births and baptisms had    
taken place since their wedding-day were
 falling around them well stricken in   
years1 death seemed to have forgotten   
them2 and when he came at last1 their   
united ages made up well nigh two       
centuries4 ,the wife had seen her       
ninety-sixth and the husband his hundred
 and second birthday4 ,it does not      

transcend the skill of the actuary to   
say how many thousand women must die    
under ninety-six for every one that     
reaches it1 and how many tens of        
thousands of men must die under a       
hundred and two for every man who       
attains to an age so extraordinary2 but 
he would require to get beyond his      
tables in order to reckon up the chances
 against the woman destined to attain to
 ninety-six being courted and married in
 early life by the man born to attain to
 a hundred and two4  ,after enjoying a  
magnificent sunset on the banks of the  
,conon1 just where the scenery1         
exquisite throughout1 is most           
delightful1 ,i returned through the     
woods1 and spent half an hour by the way
 in the cottage of a kindly-hearted     
woman1 now considerably advanced in     
years1 whom ,i had known1 when she was  
in middle life1 as the wife of one of   
the ,conon-side hinds1 and who not      
unfrequently1 when ,i was toiling at the
 mallet in the burning sun1 hot and     

thirsty1 and rather loosely knit for my 
work1 had brought me--all she had to    
offer at the time--a draught of fresh   
whey4 ,at first she seemed to have      
wholly forgotten both her kindness and  
the object of it4 ,she well remembered  
my master1 and another ,cromarty man who
 had been grievously injured1 when      
undermining an old building1 by the     
sudden fall of the erection2 but she    
could bethink her of no third ,cromarty 
man whatever4 ,eh1 sirs6 she at length  
exclaimed1 ,i daresay ye'll be just the 
sma' prentice laddie4 ,weel1 what will  
young folk no come out o'8 ,they were   
amaist a' stout big men at the wark     
except yoursel'2 an' you're now stouter 
and bigger than maist o' them4 ,eh1     
sirs6--an' are ye still a mason8 ,no2 ,i
 have not wrought as a mason for the    
last fourteen years2 but ,i have to work
 hard enough for all that4 ,weel1 weel1 
it's our appointed lot2 an' if we have  
but health an' strength1 an' the wark to
 do1 why should we repine8 ,once fairly 

entered on our talk together1 we        
gossipped on till the night fell1 giving
 and receiving information regarding our
 old acquaintances of a quarter of a    
century before2 of whom we found that no
 inconsiderable proportion had already  
sunk in the stream in which eventually  
we must all disappear4 ,and then1 taking
 leave of the kindly old woman1 ,i      
walked on in the dark to ,dingwall1     
where ,i spent the night4 ,i could fain 
have called by the way on my old friend 
and brother-workman1 ,mr4 ,urquhart1--of
 a very numerous party of mechanics     
employed at ,conon-side in the year     
#ahba the only individual now resident  
in this part of the country2 but the    
lateness of the hour forbade4 ,next     
morning ,i returned by the ,conon road1 
as far as the noble old bridge which    
strides across the stream at the        
village1 and which has done so much to  
banish the water-wraith from the fords2 
and then striking off to the right1 ,i  
crossed1 by a path comparatively little 

frequented1 the insulated group of hills
 which separates the valley of the      
,conon from that of the ,peffer4 ,the   
day was mild and pleasant1 and the      
atmosphere clear2 but the higher hills  
again exhibited their ominous belts of  
vapor1 and there had been a slight frost
 during the night1--at this autumnal    
season the almost certain precursor of  
rain4     ,,chapter ,,ix4       ,the    
,great ,conglomerate--,its ,undulatory  
and ,rectilinear      ,members--,knock  
,farril and its ,vitrified ,fort--,the  
old ,highlanders      an observant      
race--,the ,vein of ,silver--,summit of 
,knock ,farril--,mode      of accounting
 for the ,luxuriance of ,herbage in the 
ancient ,scottish      ,fortalices--,the
 green ,graves of ,culloden--,theories  
respecting the      ,vitrification of   
the ,hill-forts--,combined ,theories of 
,williams and      ,mackenzie probably  
give the correct account--,the ,author's
      ,explanation--,transformations of 
,fused ,rocks--,strathpeffer--,the      

,spa--,permanent ,odoriferous ,qualities
 of an ancient ,sea-bottom              
converted into ,rock--,mineral ,springs 
of the ,spa--,infusion of the           
powdered rock a substitute--,belemnite  
,water--,the lively young      ,lady's  
,comments--,a befogged ,country seen    
from a                                  
hill-top--,ben-,wevis--,journey to      
,evanton--,a ,geologist's               
,night-mare--,the ,route ,home--,ruins  
of ,craighouse--,incompatibility of     
,tea and ,ghosts--,end of the ,tour4    
,i was once more on the ,great          
,conglomerate1--here1 as elsewhere1 a   
picturesque1 boldly-featured deposit1   
traversed by narrow1 mural-sided        
valleys1 and tempested by bluff abrupt  
eminences4 ,its hills are greatly less  
confluent than those of most of the     
other sedimentary formations of         
,scotland2 and their insulated summits1 
recommended by their steep sides and    
limited areas to the old savage ,vaubans
 of the ,highlands1 furnished1 ere the  

historic eras began1 sites for not a few
 of the ancient hill-forts of the       
country4 ,the vitrified fort of ,craig  
,phadrig1 of the ,ord ,hill of ,kessock1
 and of ,knock ,farril1--two of the     
number1 the first and last1 being the   
most celebrated erections of their kind 
in the north of ,scotland1--were all    
formed on hills of the ,great           
,conglomerate4 ,the ,conglomerate exists
 here as a sort of miniature ,highlands1
 set down at the northern side of a     
large angular bay of ,palaeozoic rock1  
which indents the true ,highlands of the
 country1 and which exhibits in its     
central area a prolongation of the long 
moory ridge of the ,black ,isle1 formed1
 as ,i have already had occasion to     
remark1 of an upper deposit of the same 
lower division of the ,old ,red1--a     
deposit as noticeable for affecting a   
confluent1 rectilinear character in its 
elevations1 as the ,conglomerate is     
remarkable for exhibiting a detached and
 undulatory one4 ,exactly the same      

features are presented by the same      
deposits in the neighborhood of         
,inverness2 the undulatory ,conglomerate
 composing1 to the north and west of the
 town1 the picturesque wavy ridge       
comprising the twin-eminences of        
,munlochy ,bay1 the ,ord ,hill of       
,kessock1 ,craig ,phadrig1 and the      
fir-covered hill beyond in the line of  
the ,great ,valley2 while on the south  
and east the rectilinear ichthyolitic   
member of the system1 with the          
arenaceous beds that lie over it1 form  
the continuous straight-lined ridge     
which runs on from beyond the moor of   
the ,leys to beyond the moor of         
,culloden4 ,there is a pretty little    
loch in this dwarf ,highlands of the    
,brahan district1 into which the old    
,celtic prophet ,kenneth ,ore1 when1    
like ,prospero1 he relinquished his art1
 buried deep beyond plummet sound the   
magic stone in which he was wont to see 
the distant and the future4 ,and with   
the loch it contains a narrow1          

hermit-like dell1 bearing but a single  
row of fields1 and these of small size1 
along its flat bottom1 and whose steep  
gray sides of rustic ,conglomerate      
resemble ,cyclopean walls4 ,it1 besides1
 includes among its hills the steep hill
 of ,knock ,farril1 which1 rising bluff 
and bold immediately over the southern  
slopes of ,strathpeffer1 adds so greatly
 to the beauty of the valley1 and bears 
atop perhaps the finest specimen of the 
vitrified fort in ,scotland2 and the    
bold frontage of cliff presented by the 
group to the west1 over the pleasure    
grounds of ,brahan1 is1 though on no    
very large scale1 one of the most       
characteristic of the ,conglomerate     
formation which can be seen anywhere4   
,it is formed of exactly such cliffs as 
the landscape gardener would make if he 
could1--cliffs with their rude prominent
 pebbles breaking the light over every  
square foot of surface1 and furnishing  
footing1 by their innumerable           
projections1 to many a green tuft of    

moss1 and many a sweet little flower4   
,some of the masses1 too1 that have     
rolled down from the precipices among   
the ,brahan woods far below1 and stand  
up1 like the ruins of cottages1 amid the
 trees1 are of singular beauty1--worth  
all the imitation-ruins ever erected1   
and obnoxious to none of the disparaging
 associations which the mere show and   
make-believe of the artificial are sure 
always to awaken4  ,whatever exhibited  
an aspect in any degree extraordinary   
was sure to attract the notice of the   
old ,highlanders1--an acutely observant 
race1 however slightly developed their  
reflective powers2 and the great natural
 objects which excited their attention  
we always find associated with some     
traditionary story4 ,it is said that in 
the ,conglomerate cliffs above ,brahan1 
a retainer of the ,mackenzie1 one of the
 smiths of the tribe1 discovered a rich 
vein of silver1 which he wrought by     
stealth1 until he had filled one of the 
apartments of his cottage with bars and 

ingots4 ,but the treasure1 it is added1 
was betrayed by his own unfortunate     
vanity1 to his chief1 who hanged him in 
order to serve himself his heir2 and no 
one since his death has proved ingenious
 enough to convert the rude rock into   
silver4 ,years had1 ,i found1 wrought   
their changes amid the miniature        
,highlands of the ,conglomerate4 ,the   
sapplings of the straggling wood on the 
banks of ,loch ,ousy1--the pleasant     
little lake1 or lochan rather1 of this  
upland region1--that ,i remembered      
having seen scarce taller than myself1  
had shot into vigorous treehood2 and the
 steep slopes of ,knock ,farril1 which  
,i had left covered with their dark     
screen of pine1 were now thickly mottled
 over with half-decayed stumps1 and bore
 that peculiarly barren aspect which    
tracts cleared of their wood so         
frequently assume in their transition   
state1 when the plants that flourished  
in the shade have died out in           
consequence of the exposure1 and plants 

that love the open air and the unbroken 
sunshine have not yet sprung up in their
 place4 ,i found the southern           
acclivities of the hill covered with    
scattered masses of vitrified stone1    
that had fallen from the fortalice atop2
 and would recommend to the collector in
 quest of a characteristic specimen1    
that instead of laboring1 to the general
 detriment of the pile1 in detaching one
 from the walls above1 he should set    
himself to seek one here4 ,the blocks1  
uninjured by the hammer1 exhibit1 in    
most cases1 the angular character of the
 original fragments better than those   
forcibly detached from the mass1 and    
preserve in fine keeping those hollower 
interstices which were but partially    
filled with the molten matter1 and      
which1 when shattered by a blow1 break  
through and lose their character4  ,one 
may spend an hour very agreeably on the 
green summit of ,knock ,farril4 ,and at 
almost all seasons of the year a green  
summit it is1--greener considerably than

 any other hill-top in this part of the 
country4 ,the more succulent grasses    
spring up rich and strong within the    
walls1 here and there roughened by tufts
 of nettles1 tall and rank1 and somewhat
 perilous of approach1--witnesses1 say  
the botanists1 that man had once a      
dwelling in the immediate neighborhood4 
,the green luxuriance which             
characterizes so many of the more       
ancient fortalices of ,scotland seems   
satisfactorily accounted for by ,dr4    
,fleming1 in his ,zoology of the ,bass4 
,the summits and sides of those hills   
which were occupied by our ancestors as 
hill-forts1 says the naturalist1 usually
 exhibit a far richer herbage than      
corresponding heights in the            
neighborhood with the mineral soil      
derived from the same source4 ,it is to 
be kept in view1 that these positions of
 strength were at the same time occupied
 as hill-folds1 into which1 during the  
threatened or actual invasion of the    
district by a hostile tribe1 the cattle 

were driven1 especially during the      
night1 as to places of safety1 and sent 
out to pasture in the neighborhood      
during the day4 ,and the droppings of   
these collected herds would1 as takes   
place in analogous cases at present1    
speedily improve the soil to such an    
extent as to induce a permanent         
fertility4 ,the further instance adduced
 by the ,doctor1 in showing through what
 protracted periods causes transitory in
 themselves may remain palpably         
influential in their effects1 is        
curiously suggestive of the old         
metaphysical idea1 that as every effect 
has its cause1 recurring from cause to  
cause up to the abyss of eternity1 so   
every cause has also its effects1 linked
 forward in succession to the end of    
time4 ,on the bleak moor of ,culloden   
the graves of the slain still exist as  
patches of green sward1 surrounded by a 
brown groundwork of stunted heather4    
,the animal matter1--once the nerves1   
muscles1 and sinews of brave men1--which

 originated the change1 must have been  
wholly dissipated ages ago4 ,but the    
effect once produced has so decidedly   
maintained itself1 that it remains not  
less distinctly stamped upon the heath  
in the present day than it could have   
been in the middle of the last century1 
only a few years after the battle had   
been stricken4  ,the vitrification of   
the rampart which on every side incloses
 the grassy area has been more          
variously1 but less satisfactorily1     
accounted for than the green luxuriance 
within4 ,it was held by ,pennant to be  
an effect of volcanic fire1 and that the
 walls of this and all our other        
vitrified strongholds are simply the    
crater-rims of extinct volcanoes1--a    
hypothesis wholly as untenable in       
reference to the hill-forts as to the   
lime-kilns of the country3 the vitrified
 forts are as little volcanic as the    
vitrified kilns4 ,williams1 the author  
of the ,mineral ,kingdom1 and one of our
 earlier ,british geologists1 after     

deciding1 on data which his peculiar    
pursuits enabled him to collect and     
weigh1 that they are not volcanic1      
broached the theory1 still prevalent1 as
 their name testifies1 that they are    
artificial structures1 in which         
vitrescency was designedly induced1 in  
order to cement into solid masses       
accumulations of loose materials4 ,lord 
,woodhouselee advocated an opposite     
view4 ,resting on the fact that the     
vitrification is but of partial         
occurrence1 be held that it had been    
produced1 not of design by the builders 
of the forts1 but in the process of     
their demolition by a besieging enemy1  
who1 finding1 as he premised1 a large   
portion of the ramparts composed of     
wood1 had succeeded in setting them on  
fire4 ,this hypothesis1 however1 seems  
quite as untenable as that of ,pennant4 
,fires not unfrequently occur in cities1
 among crowded groups of houses1 where  
walls of stone are surrounded by a much 
greater profusion of dry woodwork than  

could possibly have entered into the    
composition of the ramparts of a        
hill-fort2 but who ever saw1 after a    
city fire1 masses of wall from eight to 
ten feet in thickness fused throughout8 
,the sandstone columns of the aisles of 
the ,old ,greyfriars in ,edinburgh1     
surrounded by the woodwork of the       
galleries1 the flooring1 the seating1   
and the roof1 were wasted1 during the   
fire which destroyed the pile1 into mere
 skeletons of their former selves2 but  
though originally not more than three   
feet in diameter1 they exhibited no     
marks of vitrescency4 ,and it does not  
seem in the least probable that the     
stonework of the ,knock ,farril rampart 
could1 if surrounded by wood at all1    
have been surrounded by an amount       
equally great1 in proportion to its     
mass1 as that which enveloped the       
aisle-columns of the ,old ,greyfriars4  
,the late ,sir ,george ,mackenzie of    
,coul adopted yet a fourth view4 ,he    
held that the vitrification is simply an

 effect of the ancient beacon-fires     
kindled to warn the country of an       
invading enemy4 ,but how account1 on    
this hypothesis1 for ramparts           
continuous1 as in the case of ,knock    
,farril1 all round the hill8 ,a powerful
 fire long kept up might well fuse a    
heap of loose stones into a solid mass2 
the bonfire lighted on the summit of    
,arthur ,seat in #ahdb1 to welcome the  
,queen on her first visit to ,scotland1 
particularly fused numerous detached    
fragments of basalt1 and imparted1 in   
some spots to the depth of about half an
 inch1 a vesicular structure to the     
solid rock beneath4 ,but no fire1       
however powerful1 could have constructed
 a rampart running without break for    
several hundred feet round an insulated 
hill-top4 ,to be satisfied1 said ,sir   
,george1 of the reason why the          
signal-fires should be kindled on or    
beside a heap of stones1 we have only to
 imagine a gale of wind to have arisen  
when a fire was kindled on the bare     

ground4 ,the fuel would be blown about  
and dispersed1 to the great annoyance of
 those who attended4 ,the plan for      
obviating the inconvenience thus        
occasioned which would occur most       
naturally and readily would be to raise 
a heap of stones1 on either side of     
which the fire might be placed to       
windward2 and to account for the        
vitrification appearing all round the   
area1 it is only necessary to allow the 
inhabitants of the country to have had a
 system of signals4 ,a fire at one end  
might denote something different from a 
fire at the other1 or in some           
intermediate part4 ,on some occasions   
two or more fires might be necessary1   
and sometimes a fire along the whole    
line4 ,it cannot be doubted1 he adds1   
that the rampart was originally formed  
with as much regularity as the nature of
 the materials would allow1 both in     
order to render it more durable1 and to 
make it serve the purposes of defence4  
,this1 ,i am afraid1 is still very      

unsatisfactory4 ,a fire lighted along   
the entire line of a wall inclosing     
nearly an acre of area could not be     
other than a very attenuated1 wire-drawn
 line of fire indeed1 and could never   
possess strength enough to melt the     
ponderous mass of rampart beneath1 as if
 it had been formed of wax or resin4 ,a 
thousand loads of wood piled in a ring  
round the summit of ,knock ,farril1 and 
set at once into a blaze1 would wholly  
fail to affect the broad rampart below2 
and long ere even a thousand1 or half a 
thousand1 loads could have been cut     
down1 collected1 and fired1 an invading 
enemy would have found time enough to   
moor his fleet and land his forces1 and 
possess himself of the lower country4   
,again1 the unbroken continuity of the  
vitrified line militates against the    
signal-system theory4 ,fire trod so     
closely upon the heels of fire1 that the
 vitrescency induced by the one fire    
impinged on and mingled with the        
vitrescency induced by the others beside

 it4 ,there is no other mode of         
accounting for the continuity of the    
fusion2 and how could definite meanings 
possibly be attached to the various     
parts of a line so minutely graduated1  
that the centre of the fire kindled on  
any one graduation could be scarce ten  
feet apart from the centre of the fire  
kindled on any of its two neighboring   
graduations8 ,even by day1 the exact    
compartment which a fire occupied could 
not be distinguished1 at the distance of
 half a mile1 from its neighboring      
compartments1 and not at all by night1  
at any distance1 from even the          
compartments farthest removed from it4  
,who1 for instance1 at the distance of a
 dozen miles or so1 could tell whether  
the flame that shone out in the         
darkness1 when all other objects around 
it were invisible1 was kindled on the   
east or west end of an eminence little  
more than a hundred yards in length8    
,nay1 who could determine1--for such is 
the requirement of the                  

hypothesis1--whether it rose from a     
compartment of the summit a hundred feet
 distant from its west or east end1 or  
from a compartment merely ninety or a   
hundred and ten feet distant from it8   
,the supposed signal system1 added to   
the mere beacon hypothesis1 is palpably 
untenable4  ,the theory of ,williams1   
however1 which is1 ,i am inclined to    
think1 the true one in the main1 seems  
capable of being considerably modified  
and improved by the hypothesis of ,sir  
,george4 ,the hill-fort1--palpably the  
most primitive form of fortalice or     
stronghold originated in a mountainous  
country1--seems to constitute man's     
first essay towards neutralizing1 by the
 art of fortification1 the advantages of
 superior force on the side of an       
assailing enemy4 ,it was found1 on the  
discovery of ,new ,zealand1 that the    
savage inhabitants had already learned  
to erect exactly such hill-forts amid   
the fastnesses of that country as those 
which were erected two thousand years   

earlier by the ,scottish aborigines amid
 the fastnesses of our own4 ,nothing    
seems more probable1 therefore1 than    
that the forts of eminences such as     
,craig ,phadrig and ,knock ,farril1     
originally mere inclosures of loose1    
uncemented stones1 may belong to a      
period not less ancient than that of the
 first barbarous wars of ,scotland1     
when1 though tribe battled with tribe in
 fierce warfare1 like the red men of the
 ,west with their brethren ere the      
,european had landed on their shores1   
navigation was yet in so immature a     
state in ,northern ,europe as to secure 
to them an exemption from foreign       
invasion4 ,in an after age1 however1    
when the roving ,vikings had become     
formidable1 many of the eminences       
originally selected1 from their         
inaccessibility1 as sites for           
hill-forts1 would come to be chosen1    
from their prominence in the landscape1 
as stations for beacon-fires4 ,and of   
course the previously erected ramparts1 

higher always than the inclosed areas1  
would furnish on such hills the         
conspicuous points from which the fires 
could be best seen4 ,let us suppose1    
then1 that the rampart-crested eminence 
of ,knock ,farril1 seen on every side   
for many miles1 has become in the age of
 northern invasion one of the           
beacon-posts of the district1 and that  
large fires1 abundantly supplied with   
fuel by the woods of a forest-covered   
country1 and blown at times into intense
 heat by the strong winds so frequent in
 that upper stratum of air into which   
the summit penetrates1 have been kindled
 some six or eight times on some        
prominent point of the rampart1 raised1 
mayhap1 many centuries before4 ,at first
 the heat has failed to tell on the     
stubborn quartz and feldspar which forms
 the preponderating material of the     
gneisses1 granites1 quartz rocks1 and   
coarse conglomerate sandstones on which 
it has been brought to operate2 but each
 fire throws down into the interstices a

 considerable amount of the fixed salt  
of the wood1 till at length the heap has
 become charged with a strong flux2 and 
then one powerful fire more1 fanned to a
 white heat by a keen1 dry breeze1      
reduces the whole into a semi-fluid     
mass4 ,the same effects have been       
produced on the materials of the rampart
 by the beacon-fires and the alkali1    
that were produced1 according to ,pliny1
 by the fires and the soda of the       
,phoenician merchants storm-bound on the
 sands of the river ,belus4 ,but the    
state of civilization in ,scotland at   
the time is not such as to permit of the
 discovery being followed up by similar 
results4 ,the semi-savage guardians of  
the beacon wonder at the accident1 as   
they well may2 but those happy accidents
 in which the higher order of           
discoveries originate occur in only the 
ages of cultivated minds2 and so they do
 not acquire from it the art of         
manufacturing glass4 ,it could not fail 
being perceived1 however1 by intellects 

at all human1 that the consolidation    
which the fires of one week1 or month1  
or year1 as the case happened1 had      
effected on one portion of the wall1    
might be produced by the fires of       
another week1 or month1 or year1 on     
another portion of it2 that1 in short1 a
 loose incoherent rampart1 easy of      
demolition1 might be converted1 through 
the newly-discovered process1 into a    
rampart as solid and indestructible as  
the rock on which it rested4 ,and so1 in
 course of time1 simply by shifting the 
beacon-fires1 and bringing them to bear 
in succession on every part of the wall1
 ,knock ,farril1 with many a similar    
eminence in the country1 comes to       
exhibit its completely vitrified fort   
where there had been but a loosely-piled
 hill-fort before4 ,it in no degree     
militates against this compound         
theory1--borrowed in part from ,williams
 and in part from ,sir ,george1--that   
there are detached vitrified masses to  
be found on eminences evidently never   

occupied by hill-forts2 or that there   
are hill-forts on other eminences only  
partially fused1 or hill-forts on many  
of the less commanding sites that bear  
about them no marks of fire at all4     
,nothing can be more probable than that 
in the first class of cases we have     
eminences that had been selected as     
beacon-stations1 which had not          
previously been occupied by hill-forts2 
and in the last1 eminences that had been
 occupied by hill-forts which1 from     
their want of prominence in the general 
landscape1 had not been selected as     
beacon-stations4 ,and in the            
intermediate class of cases we have     
probably ramparts that were only        
partially vitrified1 because some want  
of fuel in the neighborhood had starved 
the customary fires1 or because fires   
had to be less frequently kindled upon  
them than on the more important         
stations2 or1 finally1 because these    
hill-forts1 from some disadvantage of   
situation1 were no longer used as places

 of strength1 and so the beacon-keepers 
had no motive to attempt consolidating  
them throughout by the piecemeal        
application of the vitrifying agent4    
,but the old ,highland mode of          
accounting for the present appearance of
 ,knock ,farril and its vitrified       
remains is perhaps1 after all1 quite as 
good in its way as any of the modes     
suggested by the philosophers4#bj  ,i   
spent some time1 agreeably enough1      
beside the rude rampart of ,knock       
,farril1 in marking the various         
appearances exhibited by the fused and  
semi-fused materials of which it is     
composed1--the granites1 gneisses1      
mica-schists1 hornblendes1 clay-slates1 
and red sandstones of the locality4 ,one
 piece of rock1 containing much lime1 ,i
 found resolved into a yellow opaque    
substance1 not unlike the coarse        
earthenware used in the making of       
ginger-beer bottles2 but though it had  
been so completely molten that it had   
dropped into a hollow beneath in long   

viscid trails1 it did not contain a     
single air-vesicle2 while another       
specimen1 apparently a piece of fused   
mica-schist1 was so filled with         
air-cells1 that the dividing partitions 
were scarcely the tenth of a line in    
thickness4 ,i found bits of schistose   
gneiss resolved into green glass2 the   
,old ,red ,sandstone basis of the       
,conglomerate1 which forms the hill1    
into a semi-metallic scoria1 like that  
of an iron-smelter's furnace2 mica into 
a gray1 waxy-looking stone1 that        
scratched glass2 and pure white quartz  
into porcellanic trails of white1 that  
ran in one instance along the face of a 
darker-colored rock below1 like streaks 
of cream along the sides of a burnt     
china jug4 ,in one mass of pale         
large-grained granite ,i found that the 
feldspar1 though it had acquired a      
vitreous gloss on the surface1 still    
retained its peculiar rhomboidal        
cleavage2 while the less stubborn quartz
 around it had become scarce less       

vesicular and light than a piece of     
pumice4 ,on some of the other masses    
there was impressed1 as if by a seal1   
the stamp of pieces of charcoal2 and so 
sharply was the impression retained1    
that ,i could detect on the vitreous    
surface the mark of the yearly growths1 
and even of the medullary rays1 of the  
wood4 ,in breaking open some of the     
others1 ,i detected fragments of the    
charcoal itself1 which1 hermetically    
locked up in the rock1 had retained all 
its original carbon4 ,these last        
reminded me of specimens not unfrequent 
among the trap-rocks of the             
,carboniferous and ,oolitic systems4    
,from an intrusive overlying wacke in   
the neighborhood of ,linlithgow ,i have 
derived for my collection pieces of     
carbonized wood in so complete a state  
of keeping1 that under the microscope   
they exhibit unbroken all the           
characteristic reticulations of the     
coniferae of the ,coal ,measures4  ,i   
descended the hill1 and1 after joining  

my friends at ,strathpeffer1--,buchubai 
,hormazdji among the rest1--visited the 
,spa1 in the company of my old friend   
the minister of ,alness4 ,the thorough  
identity of the powerful effluvium that 
fills the pump-room with that of a muddy
 sea-bottom laid bare in warm weather by
 the tide1 is to the dweller on the     
sea-coast very striking4 ,it is         
identity1--not mere resemblance4 ,in    
most cases the organic substances       
undergo great changes in the bowels of  
the earth4 ,the animal matter of the    
,caithness ichthyolites exists1 for     
instance1 as a hard1 black1 insoluble   
bitumen1 which ,i have used oftener than
 once as sealing-wax2 the vegetable     
mould of the ,coal ,measures has been   
converted into a fire-clay1 so altered  
in the organic pabulum1 animal and      
vegetable1 whence it derived its        
fertility1 that1 even when laid open for
 years to the meliorating effects of the
 weather and the visits of the winged   
seeds1 it will not be found bearing a   

single spike or leaf of green4 ,but     
here1 in smell1 at least1 that ancient  
mud1 swum over by the ,diplopterus and  
the ,diplacanthus1 and in which the     
,coccosteus and ,pterichthys burrowed1  
has undergone no change4 ,the soft ooze 
has become solid rock1 but its          
odoriferous qualities have remained     
unaltered4 ,i next visited an excavation
 a few hundred yards on the upper side  
of the pump-room1 in which the gray     
fetid breccia of the ,strath has been   
quarried for dyke-building1 and examined
 the rock with some degree of care1     
without1 however1 detecting in it a     
single plate or scale4 ,lying over that 
,conglomerate member of the system      
which1 rising high in the ,knock ,farril
 range1 forms the southern boundary of  
the valley1 it occupies the place of the
 lower ichthyolitic bed1 so rich in     
organisms in various other parts of the 
country2 but here the bed1 after it had 
been deposited in thin horizontal       
laminae1 and had hardened into stone1   

seems to have been broken up1 by some   
violent movement1 into minute           
sharp-edged fragments1 that1 without    
wear or attrition1 were again           
consolidated into the breccia which it  
now forms4 ,and its ichthyolites1 if not
 previously absorbed1 were probably     
destroyed in the convulsion4 ,detached  
scales and spines1 however1 if carefully
 sought for in the various openings of  
the valley1 might still be found in the 
original laminae of the fragments4 ,they
 must have been amazingly abundant in it
 once2 for so largely saturated is the  
rock with the organic matter into which 
they have been resolved1 that1 when     
struck by the hammer1 the impalpable    
dust set loose sensibly affects the     
organs of taste1 and appeals very       
strongly to those of smell4 ,it is      
through this saturated rock that the    
mineral springs take their course4 ,even
 the surface-waters of the valley1 as   
they pass over it contract in a         
perceptible degree its peculiar taste   

and odor4 ,with a little more time to   
spare1 ,i would fain have made this     
breccia of the ,old ,red the subject of 
a few simple experiments4 ,i would have 
ground it into powder1 and tried upon it
 the effect both of cold and hot        
infusion4 ,portions of the water are    
sometimes carried in casks and bottles1 
for the use of invalids1 to a           
considerable distance2 but it is quite  
possible that a little of the rock1 to  
which the water owes its qualities1     
might1 when treated in this way1 have   
all the effects of a considerable       
quantity of the spring4 ,it might be of 
some interest1 too1 to ascertain its    
qualities when crushed1 as a soil1 or   
its effect on other soils2 whether1 for 
instance1 like the old sterile soils of 
the ,carboniferous period1 it has lost1 
through its rock-change1 the fertilizing
 properties which it once possessed2 or 
whether it still retains them1 like some
 of the coprolitic beds of the ,oolite  
and ,greensand1 and might not1 in       

consequence1 be employed as a manure4 ,a
 course of such experiments could scarce
 fail to furnish with agreeable         
occupation some of the numerous annual  
visitants of the ,spa1 who have to      
linger long1 with but little to engage  
them1 waiting for what1 if it once      
fairly leave a man1 returns slowly1 when
 it returns at all4  ,in mentioning at  
the dinner-table of my friend my scheme 
of infusing rock in order to produce    
,spa water1 ,i referred to the          
circumstance that the ,belemnite of our 
,liasic deposits1 when ground into      
powder1 imparts to boiling water a      
peculiar taste and smell1 and that the  
infusion1 taken in very small           
quantities1 sensibly affects both palate
 and stomach4 ,and ,i suggested that    
,belemnite water1 deemed sovereign of   
old1 when the ,belemnite was regarded as
 a thunderbolt1 in the cure of bewitched
 cattle1 might be in reality medicinal1 
and that the ancient superstition might 
thus embody1 as ancient superstitions   

not unfrequently do1 a nucleus of fact4 
,the charm1 ,i said1 might amount to no 
more than simply the administration of a
 medicine to sick cattle1 that did harm 
in no case1 and good at times4 ,the     
lively comment of one of the young      
ladies on the remark amused us all4 ,if 
an infusion of stone had cured1 in the  
last age1 cattle that were bewitched1   
the ,strathpeffer water1 she argued1    
which was1 it seems1 but an infusion of 
stone1 might cure cattle that were sick 
now2 and so1 though the biped patients  
of the ,strath could scarce fail to     
decrease when they knew that its infused
 stone contained but the strainings of  
old mud1 and the juices of dead unsalted
 fish1 it was gratifying to think that  
the poor ,spa might still continue to   
retain its patients1 though of a lower  
order4 ,the pump-room would be converted
 into a rustic1 straw-thatched shed1 to 
which long trains of sick cattle1       
affected by weak nerves and dyspepsia1  
would come streaming along the roads    

every morning and evening1 to drink and 
gather strength4  ,the following morning
 was wet and lowering1 and a flat       
ceiling of gray cloud stretched across  
the valley1 from the summit of the      
,knock ,farril ridge of hills on the one
 side1 to the lower flanks of           
,ben-,wevis on the other4 ,i had        
purposed ascending this latter          
mountain1--the giant of the             
north-eastern coast1 and one of the     
loftiest of our second-class ,scottish  
hills anywhere1--to ascertain the       
extreme upper line at which travelled   
boulders occur in this part of the      
country4 ,but it was no morning for     
wading knee-deep through the trackless  
heather2 and after waiting on1 in the   
hope the weather might clear up1        
watching at a window the poorer invalids
 at the ,spa1 as they dragged themselves
 through the rain to the water1 ,i lost 
patience1 and sallied out1 beplaided and
 umbrellaed1 to see from the top of     
,knock ,farril how the country looked in

 a fog4 ,at first1 however1 ,i saw much 
fog1 but little country2 but as the day 
wore on1 the flat mist-ceiling rose     
together1 till it rested on but the     
distant hills1 and the more prominent   
features of the landscape began to stand
 out amid the more general gray1 like   
the stronger lines and masses in a      
half-finished drawing1 boldly dashed off
 in the neutral tint of the artist4 ,the
 portions of the prospect generically   
distinct are1 notwithstanding its great 
extent and variety1 but few2 and the    
partial veil of haze1 by glazing down   
its distracting multiplicity of minor   
points1 served to bring them out all the
 more distinctly4 ,there is1 first      
stretching far in a southern and eastern
 direction along the landscape1 the     
rectilinear ridge of the ,black         
,isle1--not quite the sort of line a    
painter would introduce into a          
composition1 but true to geologic       
character4 ,more in the foreground1 in  
the same direction1 there spreads a     

troubled cockling sea of the ,great     
,conglomerate4 ,turning to the north and
 west1 the deep valley of ,strathpeffer1
 with its expanse of rich level fields1 
and in the midst its old baronial       
castle1 surrounded by coeval trees of   
vast bulk1 lies so immediately at the   
foot of the eminence1 that ,i could hear
 in the calm the rush of the little     
stream1 swollen to thrice its usual bulk
 by the rains of the night4 ,beyond rose
 the thick-set ,ben-,wevis1--a true     
gneiss mountain1 with breadth enough of 
shoulders1 and amplitude enough of base1
 to serve a mountain thrice as tall1 but
 which1 like all its cogeners of this   
ancient formation1 was arrested in its  
second stage of growth1 so that many of 
the slimmer granitic and porphyritic    
hills of the country look down upon it1 
as ,agamemnon1 according to ,homer1     
looked down upon ,ulysses4   ,broad is  
his breast1 his shoulders larger spread1
  ,though great ,atrides overtops his   
head4  ,all around1 as if topling1      

wave-like1 over the outer edges of the  
comparatively flat area of ,palaeozoic  
rock which composes the middle ground of
 the landscape1 rose a multitude of     
primary hill-peaks1 barely discernible  
in the haze2 while the long withdrawing 
,dingwall ,frith1 stretching on towards 
the open sea for full twenty miles1 and 
flanked on either side by ridges of     
sandstone1 but guarded at the opening by
 two squat granitic columns1 completed  
the prospect1 by adding to its last     
great feature4 ,all was gloomy and      
chill2 and as ,i turned me down the     
descent1 the thick wetting drizzle again
 came on2 and the mist-wreaths1 after   
creeping upwards along the hill-side1   
began again to creep down4 ,when ,i had 
first visited the valley1 more than a   
quarter of a century before1 it was on a
 hot breathless day of early summer1 in 
which1 though the trees in fresh leaf   
seemed drooping in the sunshine1 and the
 succulent luxuriance of the fields lay 
aslant1 half-prostrated by the fierce   

heat1 the rich blue of ,ben-,wevis1 far 
above1 was thickly streaked with snow1  
on which it was luxury even to look4 ,it
 gave one iced fancies1 wherewithal to  
slake1 amid the bright glow of summer1  
the thirst in the mind4 ,the            
recollection came strongly upon me1 as  
the fog from the hill-top closed dark   
behind1 like that sung by the old blind 
,englishman1 which          ,o'er the   
marish glides1 ,and gathers ground fast 
at the lab'rer's heel1 ,homeward        
returning4  ,but the contrast had       
nothing sad in it2 and it was pleasant  
to feel that it had not4 ,i had resigned
 many a baseless hope and many an idle  
desire since ,i had spent a vacant day  
amid the sunshine1 now gazing on the    
broad placid features of the            
snow-streaked mountain2 and now         
sauntering under the tall ancient woods1
 or along the heath-covered slopes of   
the valley2 but in relation to          
never-tiring1 inexhaustible nature1 the 
heart was no fresher at that time than  

it was now4 ,i had grown no older in my 
feelings or in my capacity of enjoyment2
 and what then was there to regret8  ,i 
rode down the ,strath in an omnibus     
which plies between the ,spa and        
,dingwall1 and then walked on to the    
village of ,evanton1 which ,i reached   
about an hour after nightfall1 somewhat 
in the circumstances of the damp        
stranger1 who gave ,beau ,brummel the   
cold4 ,there were1 however1 no ,beau    
,brummels in the quiet village inn in   
which ,i passed the night1 and so the   
effects of the damp were wholly confined
 to myself4 ,i was soundly pummelled    
during the night by a frightful female1 
who first assumed the appearance of the 
miserable pauper woman whom ,i had seen 
beside the ,auldgrande1 and then became 
the ,lady of ,balconie2 and1 though     
sufficiently indignant1 and much        
inclined to resist1 ,i could stir       
neither hand nor foot1 but lay passively
 on my back1 jambed fast behind the huge
 gneiss boulder and the edge of the     

gulf4 ,and yet1 by a strange duality of 
perception1 ,i was conscious all the    
while that1 having got wet on the       
previous day1 ,i was now suffering from 
an attack of nightmare3 and held that it
 would be no very serious matter even   
should the lady tumble me into the gulf1
 seeing that all would be well again    
when ,i awoke in the morning4 ,dreams of
 this character1 in which consciousness 
bears reference at once to the          
fictitious events of the vision and the 
real circumstances of the sleeper1 must 
occupy1 ,i am inclined to think1 very   
little time1--single moments1 mayhap1   
poised midway between the sleeping and  
waking state4 ,next day 7,sunday7 ,i    
attended the ,free ,church in the       
parish1 where ,i found a numerous and   
attentive congregation1--descendants1 in
 large part1 of the old devout ,munroes 
of ,ferindonald1--and heard a good solid
 discourse4 ,and on the following       
morning ,i crossed the sea at what is   
known as the ,fowlis ,ferry1 to explore1

 on my homeward route1 the rocks laid   
bare along the shore in the upper       
reaches of the ,frith4  ,i found but    
little by the way3 black patches of     
bitumen in the sandstone of one of the  
beds1 with a bed of stratified clay1    
inclosing nodules1 in which1 however1 ,i
 succeeded in detecting nothing organic2
 and a few fragments of clay-slate      
locked up in the ,red ,sandstone1 sharp 
and unworn at their edges1 as if derived
 from no great distance1 though there be
 now no clay-slate in the eastern half  
of ,ross2 but though the rocks here     
belong evidently to the ichthyolitic    
member of the ,old ,red1 not a single   
fish1 not a nibble even1 repaid the     
patient search of half a day4 ,i1       
however1 passed some time agreeably     
enough among the ruins of ,craighouse4  
,when ,i had last seen1 many years      
before1 this old castle1#ba the upper   
stories were accessible2 but they were  
now no longer so4 ,time1 and the little 
herdboys who occasionally shelter in its

 vaults1 had been busy in the interval2 
and1 by breaking off a few projecting   
corners by which the climber had held1  
and by effacing a few notches into which
 he had thrust his toe-points1 they had 
rendered what had been merely difficult 
impracticable4 ,i remarked that the huge
 kitchen chimney of the building1--a    
deep hollow recess which stretches      
across the entire gable1 and in which1  
it is said1 two thrashers once plied the
 flail for a whole winter1--bore less of
 the stain of recent smoke than it used 
to exhibit twenty years before2 and     
inferred that there would be fewer      
wraith-lights seen from the castle at   
nights than in those days of evil       
spirits and illicit stills1 when the    
cottars in the neighborhood sent more   
smuggled whiskey to market than any     
equal number of the inhabitants of      
almost any other district in the north4 
,it has been long alleged that there    
existed a close connection between the  
more ghostly spirits of the country and 

its distilled ones4 ,how do you account1
 said a north country minister of the   
last age 7the late ,rev4 ,mr4 ,m',bean  
of ,alves7 to a sagacious old elder of  
his ,session1 for the almost total      
disappearance of the ghosts and fairies 
that used to be so common in your young 
days8 ,tak my word for 't1 minister1    
replied the shrewd old man1 it's a'     
owing to the tea2 when the tea cam in1  
the ghaists an' fairies gaed out4 ,weel 
do ,i mind when at a' our neeborly      
meetings1--bridals1 christenings1       
lyke-wakes1 an' the like1--we           
entertained ane anither wi' rich nappy  
ale2 an' whan the verra dowiest o' us   
used to get warm i' the face1 an' a     
little confused in the head1 an' weel   
fit to see amaist onything whan on the  
muirs on our way hame4 ,but the tea has 
put out the nappy2 an' ,i have remarked1
 that by losing the nappy we lost baith 
ghaists an' fairies4  ,quitting the     
ruin1 ,i walked on along the shore1     
tracing the sandstone as ,i went1 as it 

rises from lower to higher beds2 and    
where it ceases to crop out at the      
surface1 and gravel and the red         
boulder-clays take the place of rock1 ,i
 struck up the hill1 and1 traversing the
 parishes of ,resolis and ,cromarty1 got
 home early in the evening4 ,i had seen 
and done scarcely half what ,i had      
intended seeing or doing3 alas1 that in 
reference to every walk which ,i have   
yet attempted to tread1 this special    
statement should be so invariably true  
to fact6--alas1 that all my full        
purposes1 should be coupled with but    
half realizations6 ,but ,i had at least 
the satisfaction1 that though ,i had    
accomplished little1 ,i had enjoyed     
much2 and it is something1 though not   
all1 nor nearly all1 that1 since time is
 passing1 it should pass happily4 ,in my
 next chapter ,i shall enter on my tour 
to ,orkney4 ,it dates one year earlier  
7#ahdf7 than the tour with which ,i have
 already occupied so many chapters2 but 
,i have thus inverted the order of time1

 by placing it last1 that ,i may be able
 so to preserve the order of space as to
 render the tract travelled over in my  
narrative continuous from ,edinburgh to 
the northern extremity of ,pomona4      
,,chapter ,x4       ,recovered          
,health--,journey to the                
,orkneys--,aboard the ,steamer at       
,wick--,mr4 ,bremner--,masonry of the   
,harbor of ,wick--,the greatest         
,blunders result from good ,rules       
misapplied--,mr4 ,bremner's ,theory     
about sea-washed ,masonry--,singular    
,fracture of the ,rock near             
,wick--,the ,author's mode of accounting
 for it--,simple but not      obvious   
,thinking--,mr4 ,bremner's mode of      
making stone ,erections      under      
,water--,his exploits in raising        
foundered ,vessels--,aspect of      the 
,orkneys--- ,the ungracious             
,schoolmaster--,in the ,frith of        
,kirkwall--,cathedral of ,st4           
,magnus--,appearance of ,kirkwall--,its 
perished suppers--,its ancient          

,palaces--,blunder of the ,scotch       
,aristocracy--,the patronate            
,wedge--,breaking ,ground in            
,orkney--,minute      gregarious        
,coccosteus--,true ,position of the     
,coccosteus' ,eyes--,ruins      of one  
of ,cromwell's ,forts--,antiquities of  
,orkney--,the      ,cathedral--,its     
,sculptures--,the ,mysterious           
,cell--,prospect from the               
,tower--,its ,chimes--,ruins of ,castle 
,patrick4   ,a twelvemonth had gone by  
since a lingering indisposition1 which  
bore heavily on the springs of life1    
compelled me to postpone a              
long-projected journey to the ,orkneys1 
and led me to visit1 instead1 rich level
 ,england1 with its well-kept roads and 
smooth railways1 along which the        
enfeebled invalid can travel far without
 fatigue4 ,i had now got greatly        
stronger2 and1 if not quite up to my old
 thirty miles per day1 nor altogether so
 bold a cragsman as ,i had been only a  
few years before1 ,i was at least       

vigorous enough to enjoy a middling long
 walk1 and to breast a tolerably steep  
hill4 ,and so ,i resolved on at least   
glancing over1 if not exploring1 the    
fossiliferous deposits of the ,orkneys1 
trusting that an eye somewhat practised 
in the formations mainly developed in   
these islands might enable me to make   
some amends for seeing comparatively    
little1 by seeing well4 ,i took coach at
 ,invergordon for ,wick early in the    
morning of ,friday2 and1 after a weary  
ride1 in a bleak gusty day1 that sent   
the dust of the road whirling about the 
ears of the sorely-tossed outsides1 with
 whom ,i had taken my chance1 ,i        
alighted in ,wick1 at the inn-door1 a   
little after six o'clock in the evening4
 ,the following morning was wet and     
dreary2 and a tumbling sea1 raised by   
the wind of the previous day and night1 
came rolling into the bay2 but the waves
 bore with them no steamer2 and when1   
some five hours after the expected time1
 she also came rolling in1 her darkened 

and weather-beaten sides and rigging    
gave evidence that her passage from the 
south had been no holiday trip4         
,impatient1 however1 of looking out upon
 the sea for hours1 from under dripping 
eaves1 and through the dimmed panes of  
streaming windows1 ,i got aboard with   
about half-a-dozen other passengers2 and
 while the ,wick goods were in the      
course of being transferred to two large
 boats alongside1 we lay tossing in the 
open bay4 ,the work of raising box and  
package was superintended by a tall     
elderly gentleman from the shore1       
peculiarly ,scotch in his               
appearance1--the steam company's agent  
for this part of the country4  ,that1   
said an acquaintance1 pointing to the   
agent1 is a very extraordinary man1--in 
his own special walk1 one of the most   
original-minded1 and at the same time   
most thoroughly practical1 you perhaps  
ever saw4 ,that is ,mr4 ,bremner of     
,wick1 known now all over ,britain for  
his success in raising foundered        

vessels1 when every one else gives them 
up4 ,in the lifting of vast weights1 or 
the overcoming the vis inertiae of the  
hugest bodies1 nothing ever baffles ,mr4
 ,bremner4 ,but come1 ,i must introduce 
you to him4 ,he takes an interest in    
your peculiar science1 and is familiar  
with your geological writings4  ,i was  
accordingly introduced to ,mr4 ,bremner1
 and passed1 in his company the         
half-hour which we spent in the bay1 in 
a way that made me wish the time        
doubled4 ,i had been struck by the      
peculiar style of masonry employed in   
the harbor of ,wick1 and by its         
rock-like strength4 ,the gray ponderous 
stones of the flagstone series of which 
it is built1 instead of being placed on 
their flatter beds1 like common ashlar  
in a building1 or horizontal strata in a
 quarry1 are raised on end1 like staves 
in a pail or barrel1 so that at some    
little distance the work looks as if    
formed of upright piles or beams jambed 
fast together4 ,i had learned that ,mr4 

,bremner had been the builder1 and      
adverted to the peculiarity of his style
 of building4 ,you have given a vertical
 tilt to your strata1 ,i said3 most men 
would have preferred the horizontal     
position4 ,it used to be regarded as one
 of the standing rules of my old        
profession1 that the 'broad bed of a    
stone' is the best1 and should be always
 laid 'below4' ,a good rule for the     
land1 replied ,mr4 ,bremner1 but no good
 rule for the sea4 ,the greatest        
blunders are almost always perpetrated  
through the misapplication of good      
rules4 ,on a coast like ours1 where     
boulders of a ton weight are rolled     
about with every storm like pebbles1    
these stones1 if placed on what a       
workman would term their best beds1     
would be scattered along the shore like 
sea-wrack1 by the gales of a single     
winter4 ,in setting aside the prejudice1
 continued ,mr4 ,bremner1 that what is  
indisputably the best bed for a stone on
 dry land is also the best bed in the   

water on an exposed coast1 ,i reasoned  
thus3--,the surf that dashes along the  
beach in times of tempest1 and that     
forms the enemy with which ,i have to   
contend1 is not simply water1 with an   
onward impetus communicated to it by the
 wind and tide1 and a reactive impetus  
in the opposite direction1--the effect  
of the backward rebound1 and of its own 
weight1 when raised by these propelling 
forces above its average level of       
surface4 ,true1 it is all this2 but it  
is also something more4 ,as its white   
breadth of foam indicates1 it is a      
subtile mixture of water and air1 with a
 powerful upward action1--a consequence 
of the air struggling to effect its     
escape2 and this upward action must be  
taken into account in our calculations1 
as certainly as the other and more      
generally recognized actions4 ,in       
striking against a piece of building1   
this subtile mixture dashes through the 
interstices into the interior of the    
masonry1 and1 filling up all its        

cavities1 has by its upward action1 a   
tendency to set the work afloat4 ,and   
the broader the beds of the stones1 of  
course the more extensive are the       
surfaces which it has to act upon4 ,one 
of these flat flags1 ten feet by four1  
and a foot in thickness1 would present  
to this upheaving force1 if placed on   
end1 a superficies of but four square   
feet2 whereas1 if placed on its broader 
base1 it would present to it a          
superficies of forty square feet4       
,obviously1 then1 with regard to this   
aerial upheaving force1 that acts upon  
the masonry in a direction in which no  
precautions are usually adopted to bind 
it fast1--for the existence of the force
 itself is not taken into account1--the 
greater bed of the stone must be just   
ten times over a worse bed than its     
lesser one2 and on a tempestuous        
foam-encircled coast such as ours1 this 
aerial upheaving force is in reality1   
though the builder may not know it1 one 
of the most formidable forces with which

 he had to deal4 ,and so1 on these      
principles1 ,i ventured to set my stones
 on end1--on what was deemed their      
worst1 not their best beds1--wedging    
them all fast together1 like staves in  
an anker2 and there1 to the scandal of  
all the old rules1 are they fast wedged 
still1 firm as a rock4 ,it was no       
ordinary man that could have originated 
such reasonings on such a subject1 or   
that could have thrown himself so       
boldly1 and to such practical effect1 on
 the conclusions to which they led4     
,mr4 ,bremner adverted1 in the course of
 our conversation1 to a singular        
appearance among the rocks a little to  
the east and south of the town of ,wick1
 that had not1 he said1 attracted the   
notice it deserved4 ,the solid rock had 
been fractured by some tremendous blow1 
dealt to it externally at a considerable
 height over the sea-level1 and its     
detached masses scattered about like the
 stones of an ill-built harbor broken up
 by a storm4 ,the force1 whatever its   

nature1 had been enormously great4      
,blocks of some thirty or forty tons    
weight had been torn from out the solid 
strata1 and piled up in ruinous heaps1  
as if the compact precipice had been a  
piece of loose brickwork1 or had been   
driven into each other1 as if1 instead  
of being composed of perhaps the hardest
 and toughest sedimentary rock in the   
country1 they had been formed of        
sun-dried clay4 ,i brought1 continued   
,mr4 ,bremner1 one of your itinerant    
geological lecturers to the spot1 to get
 his opinion2 but he could say nothing  
about the appearance3 it was not in his 
books4 ,i suspect1 ,i replied1 the      
phenomenon lies quite as much within    
your own province as within that of the 
geological lecturer4 ,it is in all      
probability an illustration1 on a large 
scale1 of those floating forces with    
which you operate on your foundered     
vessels1 joined to the forces1 laterally
 exerted1 by which you drag them towards
 the shore4 ,when the sea stood higher1 

or the land lower1 in the eras of the   
raised beaches1 along what is now       
,caithness1 the abrupt mural precipices 
by which your coast here is skirted must
 have secured a very considerable depth 
of water up to the very edge of the     
land2--your coast-line must have        
resembled the side of a mole or wharf3  
and in that glacial period to which the 
thick deposit of boulder-clay           
immediately over your harbor yonder     
belongs1 icebergs of very considerable  
size must not unfrequently have brushed 
the brows of your precipices4 ,an       
iceberg from eighty to a hundred feet in
 thickness1 and perhaps half a square   
mile in area1 could not1 in this old    
state of things1 have come in contact   
with these cliffs without first catching
 the ground outside2 and such an        
iceberg1 propelled by a fierce storm    
from the north-east1 could not fail to  
lend the cliff with which it came in    
collision a tremendous blow4 ,you will  
find that your shattered precipice      

marks1 in all probability1 the scene of 
a collision of this character3 some     
hard-headed iceberg must have set itself
 to run down the land1 and got wrecked  
upon it for its pains4 ,my theory1      
though made somewhat in the dark1--for  
,i had no opportunity of seeing the     
broken precipice until after my return  
from ,orkney1--seemed to satisfy ,mr4   
,bremner2 nor1 on a careful survey of   
the phenomenon1 the solution of which it
 attempted1 did ,i find occasion to     
modify or give it up4  ,with just       
knowledge enough of ,mr4 ,bremner's     
peculiar province to appreciate his     
views1 ,i was much impressed by their   
broad and practical simplicity2 and     
bethought me1 as we conversed1 that the 
character of the thinking1 which1       
according to ,addison1 forms the staple 
of all writings of genius1 and which he 
defines as simple but not obvious1 is a 
character which equally applies to all  
good thinking1 whatever its special     
department4 ,power rarely resides in    

ingenious complexities3 it seems to     
eschew in every walk the elaborately    
attenuated and razor-edged mode of      
thinking1--the thinking akin to that of 
the old metaphysical poets1--and to     
select the broad and massive style4     
,hercules1 in all the representations of
 him which ,i have yet seen1 is the     
broad ,hercules4 ,i was greatly struck  
by some of ,mr4 ,bremner's views on     
deep-sea founding4 ,he showed me how1 by
 a series of simple1 but certainly not  
obvious contrivances1 which had a strong
 air of practicability about them1 he   
could lay down his erection1 course by  
course1 inshore1 in a floating caisson  
of peculiar construction1 beginning a   
little beyond the low-ebb line1 and     
warping out his work piecemeal1 as it   
sank1 till it had reached its proper    
place1 in1 if necessary1 from ten to    
twelve fathoms water1 where1 on a bottom
 previously prepared for it by the      
diving-bell1 he had means to make it    
take the ground exactly at the required 

line4 ,the difficulty and vast expense  
of building altogether by the bell would
 be obviated1 he said1 by the           
contrivance1 and a solidity given to the
 work otherwise impossible in the       
circumstances3 the stones could be laid 
in his floating caisson with a care as  
deliberate as on the land4 ,some of the 
anecdotes which he communicated to me on
 this occasion1 connected with his      
numerous achievements in weighing up    
foundered vessels1 or in floating off   
wrecked or stranded ones1 were of       
singular interest2 and ,i regretted that
 they should not be recorded in an      
autobiographical memoir4 ,not a few of  
them were humorously told1 and curiously
 illustrative of that general ignorance 
regarding the strength of materials in  
which the scientific world has been too 
strangely suffered to lie1 in this the  
world's most mechanical age2 so that    
what ought to be questions of strict    
calculation are subjected to the        
guessings of a mere common sense1 far   

from adequate1 in many cases1 to their  
proper resolution4 ,i once raised a     
vessel1 said ,mr4 ,bremner1--a large    
collier1 chock-full of coal1--which an  
,english projector had actually engaged 
to raise with huge bags of ,india       
rubber1 inflated with air4 ,but the     
bags1 of course taxed far beyond their  
strength1 collapsed or burst2 and so1   
when ,i succeeded in bringing the vessel
 up1 through the employment of more     
adequate means1 ,i got not only ship and
 cargo1 but also a great deal of good   
,india rubber to boot4 ,only a few      
months after ,i enjoyed the pleasure of 
this interview with the ,brindley of    
,scotland1 he was called south1 to the  
achievement of his greatest feat in at  
least one special department1--a feat   
generally recognized and appreciated as 
the most herculean of its kind ever     
performed1--the raising and warping off 
of the ,great ,britain steamer from her 
perilous bed in the sand of an exposed  
bay on the coast of ,ireland4 ,i was    

conscious of a feeling of sadness as1 in
 parting with ,mr4 ,bremner1 ,i         
reflected1 that a man so singularly     
gifted should have been suffered to     
reach a period of life very considerably
 advanced1 in employments little suited 
to exert his extraordinary faculties1   
and which persons of the ordinary type  
could have performed as well4           
,napoleon1--himself possessed of great  
genius1--could have estimated more      
adequately than our ,british rulers the 
value of such a man4 ,had ,mr4 ,bremner 
been born a ,frenchman1 he would not now
 be the mere agent of a steam company1  
in a third-rate seaport town4  ,the rain
 had ceased1 but the evening was gloomy 
and chill2 and the ,orcades1 which1 on  
clearing the ,caithness coast1 came as  
fully in view as the haze permitted1    
were enveloped in an undress of cloud   
and spray1 that showed off their flat   
low features to no advantage at all4    
,the bold1 picturesque ,hebrides look   
well in any weather2 but the level      

,orkney ,islands1 impressed everywhere1 
on at least their eastern coasts1 by the
 comparatively tame character borne by  
the ,old ,red flagstones1 when          
undisturbed by trap or the primary      
rocks1 demand the full-dress auxiliaries
 of bright sun and clear sky1 to render 
their charms patent4 ,then1 however1 in 
their sleek coats of emerald and purple1
 and surrounded by their blue sparkling 
sounds and seas1 with here a long dark  
wall of rock1 that casts its shadow over
 the breaking waves1 and there a light  
fringe of sand and broken shells1 they  
are1 as ,i afterwards ascertained1 not  
without their genuine beauties4 ,but had
 they shared in the history of the      
neighboring ,shetland group1 that1      
according to some of the older          
historians1 were suffered to lie        
uninhabited for centuries after their   
first discovery1 ,i would rather have   
been disposed to marvel this evening1   
not that they had been unappropriated so
 long1 but that they had been           

appropriated at all4 ,the late member   
for ,orkney1 not yet unseated by his    
,shetland opponent1 was one of the      
passengers in the steamboat2 and1 with  
an elderly man1 an ambitious            
schoolmaster1 strongly marked by the    
peculiarities of the genuine dominie1   
who had introduced himself to him as a  
brother voyager1 he was pacing the      
quarter-deck1 evidently doing his best  
to exert1 under an unintermittent       
hot-water douche of queries1 the patient
 courtesy of a ,member of ,parliament on
 a visit to his constituency4 ,at       
length1 however1 the troubler quitted   
him1 and took his stand immediately     
beside me2 and1 too sanguinely          
concluding that ,i might take the same  
kind of liberty with the schoolmaster   
that the schoolmaster had taken with the
 ,member1 ,i addressed to him a simple  
query in turn4 ,but ,i had mistaken my  
man2 the schoolmaster permitted to      
unknown passengers in humble russet no  
such sort of familiarities as those     

permitted by the ,member2 and so ,i met 
with a prompt rebuff1 that at once set  
me down4 ,i was evidently a big1 forward
 lad1 who had taken a liberty with the  
master4 ,it is1 ,i suspect1 scarce      
possible for a man1 unless naturally    
very superior1 to live among boys for   
some twenty or thirty years1 exerting   
over them all the while a despotic      
authority1 without contracting those    
peculiarities of character which the    
master-spirits1--our ,scots1 ,lambs1 and
 ,goldsmiths1--have embalmed with such  
exquisite truth in our literature1 and  
which have hitherto militated against   
the practical realization of those      
unexceptionable abstractions in behalf  
of the status and standing of the       
teacher of youth which have been        
originated by men less in the habit of  
looking about them than the poets4 ,it  
is worth while remarking how invariably 
the strong common sense of the ,scotch  
people has run every scheme under water 
that1 confounding the character of the  

village schoolmaster with that of the   
village clergyman1 would demand from the
 schoolmaster the clergyman's work4  ,we
 crossed the opening of the ,pentland   
,frith1 with its white surges and dark  
boiling eddies1 and saw its twin        
lighthouses rising tall and ghostly amid
 the fog on our lee4 ,we then skirted   
the shores of ,south ,ronaldshay1 of    
,burra1 of ,copinshay1 and of ,deerness2
 and1 after doubling ,moul ,head1 and   
threading the sound which separates     
,shapinshay from the ,mainland1 we      
entered the ,frith of ,kirkwall1 and    
caught1 amid the uncertain light of the 
closing evening1 our earliest glimpse of
 the ancient ,cathedral of ,st4 ,magnus4
 ,it seems at first sight as if standing
 solitary1 a huge hermit-like erection1 
at the bottom of a low bay1--for its    
humbler companions do not make          
themselves visible until we have entered
 the harbor by a mile or two more1 when 
we begin to find that it occupies1 not  
an uninhabited tract of shore1 but the  

middle of a gray straggling town1 nearly
 a mile in length4 ,we had just light   
enough to show us1 on landing1 that the 
main thoroughfare of the place1 very    
narrow and very crooked1 had been laid  
out1 ere the country beyond had got     
highways1 or the proprietors carts and  
carriages1 with an exclusive eye to the 
necessities of the foot-passenger1--that
 many of the older houses presented1 as 
is common in our northern towns1 their  
gables to the street1 and had narrow    
slips of closes running down along their
 fronts1--and that as we receded from   
the harbor1 a goodly portion of their   
number bore about them an air of        
respectability1 long maintained1 but now
 apparently touched by decay4 ,i saw1 in
 advance of one of the buildings1       
several vigorous-looking planes1 about  
forty feet in height1 which1 fenced by  
tall houses in front and rear1 and      
flanked by the tortuosities of the      
street1 had apparently forgotten that   
they were in ,orkney1 and had grown     

quite as well as the planes of public   
thoroughfares grow elsewhere4 ,after an 
abortive attempt or two made in other   
quarters1 ,i was successful in procuring
 lodgings for a few days in the house of
 a respectable widow lady of the place1 
where ,i found comfort and quiet on very
 moderate terms4 ,the cast of faded     
gentility which attached to so many of  
the older houses of ,kirkwall1--remnants
 of a time when the wealthier ,udallers 
of the ,orkneys used to repair to their 
capital at the close of autumn1 to while
 away in each other's society their     
dreary winters1--reminded me of the poet
 ,malcolm's ,sketch of the ,borough1--a 
portrait for which ,kirkwall is known to
 have sat1--and of the great revolution 
effected in its evening parties1 when   
tea and turn-out yielded its place to   
tea and turn-in4 ,but the churchyard of 
the place1 which ,i had seen1 as ,i     
passed along1 glimmering with all its   
tombstones in the uncertain light1 was  
all that remained to represent those    

great men of the burgh1 who1 according  
to the poet1 used to pop in on its card 
and dancing assemblies1 about the       
eleventh hour1 resplendent in top-boots 
and scarlet vests1 or of its            
suppression-of-vice sisterhood of moral 
old maids1 who kept all their neighbors 
right by the terror of their tongues4 ,i
 was somewhat in a mood1 after my chill 
and hungry voyage1 to recall with a     
hankering of regret the vision of its   
departed suppers1 so luxuriously        
described in the ,sketch1--suppers at   
which large rounds of boiled beef       
smothered in cabbage1 smoked geese1     
mutton hams1 roasts of pork1 and dishes 
of dog-fish and of ,welsh rabbits melted
 in their own fat1 were diluted by      
copious draughts of strong home-brewed  
ale1 and etherealized by gigantic bowls 
of rum punch4 ,but the past1 which is   
not ours1 who1 alas1 can recall6 ,and1  
after discussing a juicy steak and a    
modest cup of tea1 ,i found ,i could    
regard with the indifferency of a       

philosopher1 the perished suppers of    
,kirkwall4  ,i quitted my lodgings for  
church next morning about three-quarters
 of an hour ere the service commenced2  
and1 finding the doors shut1 sauntered  
up the hill that rises immediately over 
the town4 ,the thick gloomy weather had 
passed with the night2 and a still1     
bright1 clear-eyed ,sabbath looked      
cheerily down on green isle and blue    
sea4 ,i was quite unprepared by any     
previous description1 for the imposing  
assemblage of ancient buildings which   
,kirkwall presents full in the          
foreground1 when viewed from the road   
which ascends along this hilly slope to 
the uplands4 ,so thickly are they massed
 together1 that1 seen from one special  
point of view1 they seem a portion of   
some magnificent city in ruins1--some   
such city though in a widely different  
style of architecture1 as ,palmyra or   
,baalbec4 ,the ,cathedral of ,st4       
,magnus rises on the right1 the         
castle-palace of ,earl ,patrick ,stuart 

on the left1 the bishop's palace in the 
space between2 and all three occupy     
sites so contiguous1 that a distance of 
some two or three hundred yards abreast 
gives the proper angle for taking in the
 whole group at a glance4 ,i know no    
such group elsewhere in ,scotland4 ,the 
church and palace of ,linlithgow are in 
such close proximity1 that1 seen        
together1 relieved against the blue     
gleam of their lake1 they form one      
magnificent pile2 but we have here a    
taller1 and1 notwithstanding its ,saxon 
plainness1 a nobler church1 than that of
 the southern burgh1 and at least one   
palace more4 ,and the associations      
connected with the church1 and at least 
one of the palaces ascend to a remoter  
and more picturesque antiquity4 ,the    
castle-palace of ,earl ,patrick dates   
from but the time of ,james the ,sixth2 
but in the palace of the bishop1 old    
grim ,haco died1 after his defeat at    
,largs1 of grief1 says ,buchanan1 for   
the loss of his army1 and of a valiant  

youth his relation2 and in the ancient  
,cathedral1 his body1 previous to its   
removal to ,norway1 was interred for a  
winter4 ,the church and palace belong to
 the obscure dawn of the national       
history1 and were ,norwegian for        
centuries before they were ,scotch4  ,as
 ,i was coming down the hill at a       
snail's pace1 ,i was overtaken by a     
countryman on his way to church4 ,ye'll 
hae come1 he said1 addressing me1 wi'   
the great man last night8 ,i came in the
 steamer1 ,i replied1 with your ,member1
 ,mr4 ,dundas4 ,o1 aye1 rejoined the    
man2 but ,i'm no sure he'll be our      
,member next time4 ,the ,voluntaries    
yonder1 ye see1 jerking his head1 as he 
spoke1 in the direction of the ,united  
,secession chapel of the place1 are     
awfu' strong and unco radical2 and the  
,free ,kirk folk will soon be as bad as 
them4 ,but ,i belong to the             
,establishment2 and ,i side wi' ,dundas4
 ,the aristocracy of ,scotland          
committed1 ,i am afraid1 a sad blunder  

when they attempted strengthening their 
influence as a class by seizing hold of 
the ,church patronages4 ,they have fared
 somewhat like those sailors of ,ulysses
 who1 in seeking to appropriate their   
master's wealth1 let out the winds upon 
themselves2 and there is now1 in        
consequence1 a perilous voyage and an   
uncertain landing before them4 ,it was  
the patronate wedge that struck from off
 the ,scottish ,establishment at least  
nine-tenths of the ,dissenters of the   
kingdom1--its ,secession bodies1 its    
,relief body1 and1 finally1 its ,free   
,church denomination1--comprising in    
their aggregate amount a great and      
influential majority of the ,scotch     
people4 ,our older ,dissenters1--a      
circumstance inevitable to their        
position as such1--have been thrown into
 the movement party3 the ,free ,church1 
in her present transition state1 sits   
loose to all the various political      
sections of the country2 but her natural
 tendency is towards the movement party 

also2 and already1 in consequence1 do   
our ,scottish aristocracy possess       
greatly less political influence in the 
kingdom of which they own almost all the
 soil1 than that wielded by their       
brethren the ,irish and ,english        
aristocracy in their respective         
divisions of the empire4 ,were the      
representation of ,england and ,ireland 
as liberal as that of ,scotland1 and as 
little influenced by the aristocracy1   
,conservatism1 on the passing of the    
,reform ,bill1 might have taken leave of
 office for evermore4 ,and yet neither  
the ,english nor ,irish are naturally so
 ,conservative as the ,scotch4 ,the     
patronate wedge1 like that appropriated 
by ,achan1 has been disastrous to the   
people1 for it has lost to them the     
great benefits of a religious           
,establishment1 and very great these    
are2 but it threatens1 as in the case of
 the sons of ,carmi of old1 to work more
 serious evil to those by whom it was   
originally coveted1--evil to themselves 

and all their house4 ,as ,i approached  
the ,free ,church1 a squat1 sun-burned1 
carnal-minded old wee wifie1 who seemed 
passing towards the ,secession place of 
worship1 after looking wistfully at my  
gray maud1 and concluding for certain   
that ,i could not be other than a       
,southland drover1 came up to me1 and   
asked1 in a cautious whisper1 ,will ye  
be wantin' a coo8 ,i replied in the     
negative2 and the wee wifie1 after      
casting a jealous glance at a group of  
grave-featured ,free ,church folk in our
 immediate neighborhood1 who would      
scarce have tolerated ,sabbath trading  
in a ,seceder1 tucked up her little blue
 cloak over her head1 and hied away to  
the chapel4  ,in the ,free ,church      
pulpit ,i recognized an old friend1 to  
whom ,i introduced myself at the close  
of the service1 and by whom ,i was      
introduced1 in turn1 to several         
intelligent members of his session1 to  
whose kindness ,i owed1 on the following
 day1 introductions to some of the less 

accessible curiosities of the place4 ,i 
rose betimes on the morning of ,monday1 
that ,i might have leisure enough before
 me to see them all1 and broke my first 
ground in ,orkney as a geologist in a   
quarry a few hundred yards to the south 
and east of the town4 ,it is strange    
enough how frequently the explorer in   
the ,old ,red finds himself restricted  
in a locality to well nigh a single     
organism1--an effect1 probably1 of some 
gregarious instinct in the ancient      
fishes of this formation1 similar to    
that which characterizes so many of the 
fishes of the present time1 or of some  
peculiarity in their constitution1 which
 made each choose for itself a peculiar 
habitat4 ,in this quarry1 though        
abounding in broken remains1 ,i found   
scarce a single fragment which did not  
belong to an exceedingly minute species 
of ,coccosteus1 of which my first       
specimen had been sent me a few years   
before by ,mr4 ,robert ,dick1 from the  
neighborhood of ,thurso1 and which ,i at

 that time1 judging from its general    
proportions1 had set down as the young  
of the ,coccosteus cuspidatus4 ,its     
apparent gregariousness1 too1 quite as  
marked at ,thurso as in this quarry1 had
 assisted1 on the strength of an obvious
 enough analogy1 in leading to the      
conclusion4 ,there are several species  
of the existing fish1 well known on our 
coasts1 that1 though solitary when fully
 grown1 are gregarious when young4 ,the 
coal-fish1 which as the sillock of a few
 inches in length congregates by        
thousands1 but as the colum-saw of from 
two and a half to three feet is a       
solitary fish1 forms a familiar         
instance2 and ,i had inferred that the  
,coccosteus1 found solitary1 in most    
instances1 when at its full size1 had1  
like the coal-fish1 congregated in      
shoals when in a state of immaturity4   
,but a more careful examination of the  
specimens leads me to conclude that this
 minute gregarious ,coccosteus1 so      
abundant in this locality that its      

fragments thickly speckle the strata for
 hundreds of yards together--7in one    
instance ,i found the dorsal plates of  
four individuals crowded into a piece of
 flag barely six inches square7--was in 
reality a distinct species4 ,though not 
more than one-fourth the size1 measured 
linearly1 of the ,coccosteus decipiens1 
its plates exhibit as many of those     
lines of increment which gave to the    
occipital buckler of the creature its   
tortoise-like appearance1 and through   
which plates of the buckler species were
 at first mistaken for those of a       
,chelonian1 as are exhibited by plates  
of the larger kinds1 with an area ten   
times as great2 its tubercles1 too1 some
 of them of microscopic size1 are as    
numerous2--evidences1 ,i think1--when we
 take into account that in the bulkier  
species the lines and tubercles         
increased in number with the growth of  
the plates1 and that1 once formed1 they 
seem never to have been affected by the 
subsequent enlargement of the           

creature1--that this ichthyolite was not
 an immature1 but really a miniature    
,coccosteus4 ,we may see on the plates  
of the full-grown ,coccosteus1 as on the
 shells of bivalves1 such as ,cardium   
echinatum1 or on those of spiral        
univalves1 such as ,buccinum undatum1   
the diminutive markings which they bore 
when the creature was young2 and on the 
plates of this species we may detect a  
regular gradation of tubercles from the 
microscopic to the minute1 as we may see
 on the plates of the larger kinds a    
regular gradation from the minute to the
 fall-sized4 ,the average length of the 
dwarf ,coccosteus of ,thurso and        
,kirkwall1 taken from the snout to the  
pointed termination of the dorsal plate1
 ranges from one and a-half to two      
inches2 its entire length from head to  
tail probably from three to four4 ,it   
was from one of ,mr4 ,dick's specimens  
of this species that ,i first determined
 the true position of the eyes of the   
,coccosteus1--a position which some of  

my lately-found ichthyolites            
conclusively demonstrate1 and which     
,agassiz1 in his restoration1 deceived  
by ill-preserved specimens1 has fixed at
 a point considerably more lateral and  
posterior1 and where eyes would have    
been of greatly less use to the animal4 
,about a field's breadth below this     
quarry of the ,coccosteus minor1--if ,i 
may take the liberty of extemporizing a 
name1 until such time as some person    
better qualified furnishes the creature 
with a more characteristic one1--there  
are the remains1 consisting of fosse and
 rampart1 with a single cannon lying red
 and honeycombed amid the ruins1 of one 
of ,cromwell's forts1 built to protect  
the town against the assaults of an     
enemy from the sea4 ,in the few and     
stormy years during which this ablest of
 ,british governors ruled over          
,scotland1 he seems to have exercised a 
singularly vigilant eye4 ,the claims on 
his protection of even the remote       
,kirkwall did not escape him4  ,the     

antiquities of the burgh next engaged   
me2 and1 as became its dignity and      
importance1 ,i began with the           
,cathedral1 a building imposing enough  
to rank among the most impressive of its
 class anywhere1 but whose peculiar     
setting in this remote northern country1
 joined to the associations of its early
 history with the ,scandinavian ,rollos1
 ,sigurds1 ,einars1 and ,hacos of our   
dingier chronicles1 serve greatly to    
enhance its interest4 ,it is a noble    
pile1 built of a dark-tinted ,old ,red  
,sandstone1--a stone which1 though by   
much too sombre for adequately          
developing the elegancies of the        
,grecian or ,roman architecture1 to     
which a light delicate tone of color    
seems indispensable1 harmonizes well    
with the massier and less florid styles 
of the ,gothic4 ,the round arch of that 
ancient ,norman school which was at one 
time so generally recognized as ,saxon1 
prevails in the edifice1 and marks out  
its older portions4 ,a few of the arches

 present on their ringstones those      
characteristic toothed and zig-zag      
ornaments that are of not unfamiliar    
occurrence on the round squat doorways  
of the older parish churches of         
,england2 but by much the greater number
 exhibit merely a few rude mouldings1   
that bend over ponderous columns and    
massive capitals1 unfretted by the tool 
of the carver4 ,though of colossal      
magnificence1 the exterior of the       
edifice yields in effect1 as in all true
 ,gothic buildings1--for the ,gothic is 
greatest in what the ,grecian is        
least1--to the sombre sublimity of the  
interior4 ,the nave1 flanked by the dim 
deep aisles1 and by a double row of     
smooth-stemmed gigantic columns1        
supporting each a double tier of        
ponderous arches1 and the transepts1    
with their three tiers of small ,norman 
windows1 and their bold semi-circular   
arcs1 demurely gay with toothed or      
angular carvings1 that speak of the days
 of ,rolf and ,torfeinar1 are singularly

 fine1--far superior to aught else of   
the kind in ,scotland2 and a happy      
accident has added greatly to their     
effect4 ,a rare ,byssus1--the ,byssus   
aeruginosa of ,linnaeus1--the ,leprasia 
aeruginosa of modern botanists1--one of 
those gloomy vegetables of the damp cave
 and dark mine whose true habitat is    
rather under than upon the earth1 has   
crept over arch1 and column1 and broad  
bare wall1 and given to well nigh the   
entire interior of the building a       
close-fitted lining of dark velvety     
green1 which1 like the ,attic rust of an
 ancient medal1 forms an appropriate    
covering to the sculpturings which it   
enwraps without concealing1 and         
harmonizes with at once the dim light   
and the antique architecture4 ,where the
 sun streamed upon it1 high over head1  
through the narrow windows above1 it    
reminded me of a pall of rich green     
velvet4 ,it seems subject1 on some of   
the lower mouldings and damper recesses1
 especially amid the tombs and in the   

aisles1 to a decomposing mildew1 which  
eats into it in fantastic map-like lines
 of mingled black and gray1 so          
resembling ,runic fret-work1 that ,i had
 some difficulty in convincing myself   
that the tracery which it               
forms1--singularly appropriate to the   
architecture1--was not the effect of    
design4 ,the choir and chancel of the   
edifice1 which at the time of my visit  
were still employed as the parish church
 of ,kirkwall1 and had become a world   
too wide for the shrunken congregation1 
are more modern and ornate than the nave
 and transepts2 and the round arch gives
 place1 in at least their windows1 to   
the pointed one4 ,but the unique        
consistency of the pile is scarce at all
 disturbed by this mixture of styles4   
,it is truly wonderful how completely   
the forgotten architects of the darker  
ages contrived to avoid those gross     
offences against good taste and artistic
 feeling into which their successors of 
a greatly more enlightened time are     

continually falling4 ,instead of idly   
courting ornament for its own sake1 they
 must have had as their proposed object 
the production of some definite effect1 
or the development of some special      
sentiment4 ,it was perhaps well for     
them1 too1 that they were not so        
overladen as our modern architects with 
the learning of their profession4       
,extensive knowledge requires great     
judgment to guide it4 ,if that high     
genius which can impart its own         
homogeneous character to very various   
materials be wanting1 the more          
multifarious a man's ideas become1 the  
more is he in danger of straining after 
a heterogeneous patch-work excellence1  
which is but excellence in its          
components1 and deformity as a whole4   
,every new vista opened up to him on    
what has been produced in his art       
elsewhere presents to him merely a new  
avenue of error4 ,his mind becomes a    
mere damaged kaleidoscope1 full of      
little broken pieces of the fair and the

 exquisite1 but devoid of that nicely   
reflective machinery which can alone    
cast the fragments into shapes of a     
chaste and harmonious beauty4  ,judging 
from the sculptures of ,st4 ,magnus1 the
 stone-cutter seems to have had but an  
indifferent command of his trade in     
,orkney1 when there was a good deal     
known about it elsewhere4 ,and yet the  
rudeness of his work here1 much in      
keeping with the ponderous simplicity of
 the architecture1 serves but to link on
 the pile to a more venerable antiquity1
 and speaks less of the inartificial    
than of the remote4 ,i saw a grotesque  
hatchment high up among the arches1     
that1 with the uncouth carvings below1  
served to throw some light on the       
introduction into ecclesiastical        
edifices of those ludicrous sculptures  
that seem so incongruously foreign to   
the proper use and character of such    
places4 ,the painter had set himself1   
with1 ,i doubt not1 fair moral intent1  
to exhibit a skeleton wrapped up in a   

winding-sheet2 but1 like the unlucky    
artist immortalized by ,gifford1 who    
proposed painting a lion1 but produced  
merely a dog1 his skill had failed in   
seconding his intentions1 and1 instead  
of achieving a ,death in a shroud1 he   
had achieved but a monkey grinning in a 
towel4 ,his contemporaries1 however1    
unlike those of ,gifford's artist1 do   
not seem to have found out the mistake1 
and so the betowelled monkey has come to
 hold a conspicuous place among the     
solemnities of the ,cathedral4 ,it does 
not seem difficult to conceive how      
unintentional ludicrosities of this     
nature1 introduced into ecclesiastical  
erections in ages too little critical to
 distinguish between what the workman   
had purposed doing and what he had done1
 might come to be regarded1 in a less   
earnest but more knowing age1 as        
precedents for the introduction of the  
intentionally comic and grotesque4      
,innocent accidental monkeys in towels  
may have thus served to usher into      

serious neighborhoods monkeys in towels 
that were such with malice prepense4  ,i
 was shown an opening in the masonry1   
rather more than a man's height from the
 floor1 that marked where a square      
narrow cell1 formed in the thickness of 
the wall1 had been laid open a few years
 before4 ,and in the cell there was     
found depending from the middle of the  
roof a rusty iron chain1 with a bit of  
barley-bread attached4 ,what could the  
chain and bit of bread have meant8 ,had 
they dangled in the remote past over    
some northern ,ugolino8 or did they form
 in their dark narrow cell1 without     
air-hole or outlet1 merely some of the  
reserve terrors of the ,cathedral1      
efficient in bending to the authority of
 the ,church the rebellious monk or     
refractory nun8 ,ere quitting the       
building1 ,i scaled the great           
tower1--considerably less tall1 it is   
said1 than its predecessor1 which was   
destroyed by lightning about two hundred
 years ago1 but quite tall enough to    

command an extensive1 and1 though bare1 
not unimpressive prospect4 ,two arms of 
the sea1 that cut so deeply into the    
mainland on its opposite sides as to    
narrow it into a flat neck little more  
than a mile and a half in breadth1      
stretch away in long vista1 the one to  
the south1 and the other to the north2  
and so immediately is the ,cathedral    
perched on the isthmus between1 as to be
 nearly equally conspicuous from both4  
,it forms in each1 to the inward-bound  
vessel1 the terminal object in the      
landscape4 ,there was not much to admire
 in the town immediately beneath1 with  
its roofs of gray slate1--almost the    
only parts of it visible from this point
 of view1--and its bare treeless        
suburbs2 nor yet in the tract of mingled
 hill and moor on either hand1 into     
which the island expands from the narrow
 neck1 like the two ends of a           
sand-glass2 but the long withdrawing    
ocean-avenues between1 that seemed      
approaching from south and north to kiss

 the feet of the proud                  
,cathedral1--avenues here and there     
enlivened on their ground of deep blue  
by a sail1 and fringed on the lee--for  
the wind blew freshly in the clear      
sunshine--with their border of dazzling 
white1 were objects worth while climbing
 the tower to see4 ,ere my descent1 my  
guide hammered out of the tower-bells1  
on my special behalf1 somewhat1 ,i      
daresay1 to the astonishment of the     
burghers below1 a set of chimes handed  
down entire1 in all the notes1 from the 
times of the monks1 from which also the 
four fine bells of the ,cathedral have  
descended as an heirloom to the burgh4  
,the chimes would have delighted the    
heart of old ,lisle ,bowles1 the poet of
   ,well-tun'd bell's enchanting        
harmony4  ,i could1 however1 have       
preferred listening to their music1     
though it seemed really very sweet1 a   
few hundred yards further away2 and the 
quiet clerical poet1--the restorer of   
the ,sonnet in ,england1 would1 ,i doubt

 not1 have been of the same mind4 ,the  
oft-recurring tones of those bells that 
ring throughout his verse1 and to which 
,byron wickedly proposed adding a cap1  
form but an ingredient of the poetry in 
which he describes them2 and they are   
represented always as distant tones1    
that1 while they mingle with the softer 
harmonies of nature1 never overpower    
them4   ,how sweet the tuneful bells    
responsive peal6         99     99      
99     99     99   ,and1 hark6 with     
lessening cadence now they fall1    ,and
 now1 along the white and level tide    
,they fling their melancholy music wide6
  ,bidding me many a tender thought     
recall  ,of happy hours departed1 and   
those years    ,when1 from an antique   
tower1 ere life's fair prime1    ,the   
mournful mazes of their mingling chime  
,first wak'd my wondering childhood into
 tears6  ,from the ,cathedral ,i passed 
to the mansion of ,old ,earl            
,patrick1--a stately ruin1 in the more  
ornate castellated style of the         

sixteenth century4 ,it stands in the    
middle of a dense thicket of what are   
trying to be trees1 and have so far     
succeeded1 that they conceal1 on one of 
the sides1 the lower story of the       
building1 and rise over the spring of   
the large richly-decorated turrets4     
,these last form so much nearer the base
 of the edifice than is common in our   
old castles1 that they exhibit the      
appearance rather of hanging towers than
 of turrets1--of towers with their      
foundations cut away4 ,the projecting   
windows1 with their deep mouldings1     
square mullions1 and cruciform          
shot-holes1 are rich specimens of their 
peculiar style2 and1 with the           
double-windowed turrets with which they 
range1 they communicate a sort of       
high-relief effect to the entire        
erection1 the exterior proportions and  
ornaments of which1 says ,sir ,walter   
,scott1 in his ,journal1 are very       
handsome4 ,though a roofless and broken 
ruin1 with the rank grass waving on its 

walls1 it is still a piece of very solid
 masonry1 and must have been rather     
stiff working as a quarry4 ,some        
painstaking burgher had1 ,i found1 made 
a desperate attempt on one of the huge  
chimney lintels of the great hall of the
 erection1--an apartment which ,sir     
,walter greatly admired1 and in which he
 lays the scene in the ,pirate between  
,cleveland and ,jack ,bunce1 but the    
lintel1 a curious example of what1 in   
the exercise of a little ,irish liberty1
 is sometimes termed a rectilinear arch1
 defied his utmost efforts2 and1 after  
half-picking out the keystone1 he had to
 give it up in despair4 ,the bishop's   
palace1 of which a handsome old tower   
still remains tolerably entire1 also    
served for a quarry in its day2 and ,i  
was scarce sufficiently distressed to   
learn1 that on almost the last occasion 
on which it had been wrought for this   
purpose1 one of the two men engaged in  
the employment suffered a stone1 which  
he had loosed out of the wall1 to drop  

on the head of his companion1 who stood 
watching for it below1 and killed him on
 the spot4     ,,chapter ,,xi4          
,the ,bishop's ,palace at ,orkney--,haco
 the ,norwegian--,icelandic             
,chronicle respecting his ,expedition to
 ,scotland--,his ,death--,removal       
of his ,remains to ,norway--,why        
,norwegian ,invasion                    
ceased--,straw-plaiting--,the ,lassies  
of ,orkney--,orkney ,type of            
,countenance--,celtic and               
,scandinavian--,an accomplished         
,antiquary--,old ,manuscripts--,an old  
,tune-book--,manuscript ,letter of      
,mary ,queen of ,scots--,letters of     
,general ,monck--,the fearless          
,covenanter--,cave of the ,rebels--,why 
the tragedy of ,gustavus ,vasa      was 
prohibited--,quarry of ,pickoquoy--,its 
,fossil ,shells--,journey to            
,stromness--,scenery--,birth-place of   
,malcolm1 the ,poet--,his               
,history--,one of his ,poems--,his      
,brother a ,free ,church ,minister--,new

      ,scenery4   ,the upper story of   
the bishop's palace1 in which grim old  
,haco died1--thanks to the economic     
burghers who converted the stately ruin 
into a quarry1--has wholly disappeared4 
,though the death of this last of the   
,norwegian invaders does not date more  
than ten years previous to the birth of 
the ,bruce1 it seems to belong1         
notwithstanding1 to a different and     
greatly more ancient period of ,scottish
 history2 as if it came under the       
influence of a sort of aerial           
perspective1 similar to that which makes
 a neighboring hill in a fog appear as  
remote as a distant mountain when the   
atmosphere is clearer4 ,our national    
wars with the ,english were rendered    
familiar to our country folk of the last
 age1 and for centuries before by the   
old ,scotch ,makkaris1 ,barbour and     
,blind ,harry1 and in our own times by  
the glowing narratives of ,sir ,walter  
,scott1--magicians who1 unlike those    
ancient sorcerers that used to darken   

the air with their incantations1        
possessed the rare power of dissipating 
the mists and vapors of the historic    
atmosphere1 and rendering it            
transparent4 ,but we had no such        
chroniclers of the time1 though only    
half an age further removed into the    
past1   ,when ,norse and ,danish galleys
 plied  ,their oars within the ,frith of
 ,clyde1  ,and floated ,haco's banner   
trim  ,above ,norweyan warriors grim1   
,savage of heart and large of limb4     
,and hence the thick haze in which it is
 enveloped4 ,curiously enough1 however1 
this period1 during which the wild ,scot
 had to contend with the still wilder   
wanderers of ,scandinavia in fierce     
combats that he was too little skilful  
to record1 and which appears so obscure 
and remote to his descendants1 presents 
a phase comparatively near1 and an      
outline proportionally sharp and        
well-defined to the intelligent         
peasantry of ,iceland4 ,their ,barbours 
and ,blind ,harries came a few ages     

sooner than ours1 and the fog1 in       
consequence1 rose earlier2 and so1 while
 ,scotch antiquaries of no mean standing
 can say almost nothing about the       
expedition or death-bed of ,haco1 even  
the humbler ,icelanders1 taught from    
their ,sagas in the long winter nights1 
can tell how1 harassed by anxiety and   
fatigue1 the monarch sickened1 and      
recovered1 and sickened again2 and how1 
dying in the bishop's palace1 his body  
was interred for a winter in the        
,cathedral1 and then borne in spring to 
the burying-place of his ancestors in   
,norway4 ,the only clear vista on the   
death of ,haco which now exists is that 
presented by an ,icelandic chronicler3  
to which1 as it seems so little known   
even in ,orkney that the burying-place  
of the monarch is still occasionally    
sought for in the ,cathedral1 ,i must   
introduce the reader4 ,i quote from an  
extract containing the account of       
,haco's expedition against ,scotland1   
which was translated from the original  

,icelandic by the ,rev4 ,james          
,johnstone1 chaplain to his ,britannic  
,majesty's ,envoy ,extraordinary at the 
court of ,denmark1 and appeared in the  
,edinburgh ,magazine for #aghg4  ,king  
,haco1 says the chronicler1 now in the  
seven and fortieth year of his reign1   
had spent the summer in watchfulness and
 anxiety4 ,being often called to        
deliberate with his captains1 he had    
enjoyed little rest2 and when he arrived
 at ,kirkwall1 he was confined to his   
bed by his disorder4 ,having lain for   
some nights1 the illness abated1 and he 
was on foot for three days4 ,on the     
first day he walked about in his        
apartments2 on the second he attended at
 the bishop's chapel to hear mass2 and  
on the third he went to ,magnus ,church1
 and walked round the shrine of ,st4    
,magnus1 ,earl of ,orkney4 ,he then     
ordered a bath to be prepared1 and got  
himself shaved4 ,some nights after1 he  
relapsed1 and took again to his bed4    
,during his sickness he ordered the     

,bible and ,latin authors to be read to 
him4 ,but finding his spirits were too  
much fatigued by reflecting on what he  
had heard1 he desired ,norwegian books  
might be read to him night and day3     
first the lives of saints2 and1 when    
they were ended1 he made his attendants 
read the ,chronicles of our ,kings1 from
 ,holden the ,black1 and so of all the  
,norwegian monarchs in succession1 one  
after the other4 ,the king still found  
his disorder increasing4 ,he therefore  
took into consideration the pay to be   
given to his troops1 and commanded that 
a merk of fine silver should be given to
 each courtier1 and half a merk to each 
of the masters of the lights1           
chamberlain1 and other attendants on his
 person4 ,he ordered all the            
silver-plate belonging to his table to  
be weighed1 and to be distributed if his
 standard silver fell short4444 ,king   
,haco received extreme unction on the   
night before the festival of ,st4       
,lucia4 ,thorgisl1 ,bishop of           

,stravanger1 ,gilbert1 ,bishop of       
,hainar1 ,henry1 ,bishop of ,orkney1    
,albert ,thorleif and many other learned
 men1 were present2 and1 before the     
unction1 all present bade the king      
farewell with a kiss4444 ,the festival  
of the ,virgin ,st4 ,lucia happened on a
 ,thursday2 and on the ,saturday after1 
the king's disorder increased to such a 
degree1 that he lost the use of his     
speech2 and at midnight ,almighty ,god  
called ,king ,haco out of this mortal   
life4 ,this was matter of great grief to
 all those who attended1 and to most of 
those who heard of the event4 ,the      
following barons were present at the    
death of the king3--,briniolf ,johnson1 
,erling ,alfson1 ,john ,drottning1      
,ronald ,urka1 and some domestics who   
had been near the king's person during  
his illness4 ,immediately on the decease
 of the king1 bishops and learned men   
were sent for to sing mass4444 ,on      
,sunday the royal corpse was carried to 
the upper hall1 and laid on a bier4 ,the

 body was clothed in a rich garb1 with a
 garland on its head1 and dressed out as
 became a crowned monarch4 ,the masters 
of the lights stood with tapers in their
 hands1 and the whole hall was          
illuminated4 ,all the people came to see
 the body1 which appeared beautiful and 
animated2 and the king's countenance was
 as fair and ruddy as while he was      
alive4 ,it was some alleviation of the  
deep sorrow of the beholders to see the 
corpse of their departed sovereign so   
decorated4 ,high mass was then sung for 
the deceased4 ,the nobility kept watch  
by the body during the night4 ,on       
,monday the remains of ,king ,haco were 
carried to ,st4 ,magnus ,church1 where  
they lay in state that night4 ,on       
,tuesday the royal corpse was put in a  
coffin1 and buried in the choir of ,st4 
,magnus ,church1 near the steps leading 
to the shrine of ,st4 ,magnus1 ,earl of 
,orkney4 ,the tomb was then closed1 and 
a canopy was spread over it4 ,it was    
also determined that watch should be    

kept over the king's grave all winter4  
,at ,christmas the bishop and ,andrew   
,plytt furnished entertainments1 as the 
king had directed2 and good presents    
were given to all the soldiers4 ,king   
,haco had given orders that his remains 
should be carried east to ,norway1 and  
buried near his fathers and relatives4  
,towards the end of winter1 therefore1  
that great vessel which he had in the   
west was launched1 and soon got ready4  
,on ,ash ,wednesday the corpse of ,king 
,haco was taken out of the ground3 this 
happened the third of the nones of      
,march4 ,the courtiers followed the     
corpse to ,skalpeid1 where the ship lay1
 and which was chiefly under the        
direction of the ,bishop ,thorgisl and  
,andrew ,plytt4 ,they put to sea on the 
first ,saturday in ,lent2 but1 meeting  
with hard weather1 they steered for     
,silavog4 ,from this place they wrote   
letters to ,prince ,magnus1 acquainting 
him with the news1 and then sailed for  
,bergen4 ,they arrived at ,laxavog      

before the festival of ,st4 ,benedict4  
,on that day ,prince ,magnus rowed out  
to meet the corpse4 ,the ship was       
brought near to the king's palace1 and  
the body was carried up to a            
summer-house4 ,next morning the corpse  
was removed to ,christ's ,church1 and   
was attended by ,prince ,magnus1 the two
 queens1 the courtiers1 and the town's  
people4 ,the body was then interred in  
the choir of ,christ's ,church2 and     
,prince ,magnus addressed a long and    
gracious speech to those who attended   
the funeral procession4 ,all the        
multitude present were much affected1   
and expressed great sorrow of mind4  ,so
 far the ,icelandic chronicle4 ,each age
 has as certainly its own mode of       
telling its stories as of adjusting its 
dress or setting its cap2 and the mode  
of this northern historian is somewhat  
prolix4 ,i am not sure1 however1 whether
 ,i would not prefer the simple         
minuteness with which he dwells on every
 little circumstance1 to that           

dissertative style of history           
characteristic of a more reflective age1
 that for series of facts substitutes   
bundles of theories4 ,cowper well       
describes the historians of this latter 
school1 and shows how1 on selecting some
 little-known personage of a remote time
 as their hero1   ,they disentangle from
 the puzzled skein  ,in which obscurity 
has wrapped them up1  ,the threads of   
politic and shrewd design  ,that ran    
through all his purposes1 and charge    
,his mind with meanings that he never   
had1  ,or1 having1 kept concealed4  ,i  
have seen it elaborately argued by a    
writer of this class1 that those wasting
 incursions of the ,northmen which must 
have been such terrible plagues to the  
southern and western countries of       
,europe1 ceased in consequence of their 
conversion to ,christianity2 for that1  
under the humanizing influence of       
religion1 they staid at home1 and       
cultivated the arts of peace4 ,but the  
hypothesis is1 ,i fear1 not very        

tenable4 ,christianity1 in even a purer 
form than that in which it first found  
its way among the ancient               
,scandinavians1 and when at least as    
generally recognized nationally as it   
ever was by the subjects of ,haco1 has  
failed to put down the trade of         
aggressive war4 ,it did not prevent     
honest1 obstinate ,george the ,third    
from warring with the ,americans or the 
,french3 it only led him to enjoin a day
 of thanksgiving when his troops had    
slaughtered a great many of the enemy1  
and to ordain a fast when the enemy had 
slaughtered1 in turn1 a great many of   
his troops4 ,and ,haco1 who1 though he  
preferred the lives of the saints1 and  
even of his ancestors1 who could not    
have been very great saints1 to the     
,scriptures1 seems1 for a king1 to have 
been a not undevout man in his way1 and 
yet appears to have had as few          
compunctions visitings on the score of  
his ,scottish war as ,george the ,third 
on that of the ,french or the ,american 

one4 ,christianity1 too1 ere his        
invasion of ,scotland1 had been for a   
considerable time established in his    
dominions1 and ought1 were the theory a 
true one1 to have operated sooner4 ,the 
,cathedral of ,st4 ,magnus1 when he     
walked round the shrine of its patron   
saint1 was at least a century old4 ,the 
true secret of the cessation of         
,norwegian invasion seems to have been  
the consolidation1 under vigorous       
princes1 of the countries which had lain
 open to it1--a circumstance which1 in  
the later attempts of the invaders1 led 
to results similar to those which broke 
the heart of tough old ,haco1 in the    
bishop's palace at ,kirkwall4  ,from the
 ruins ,i passed to the town1 and spent 
a not uninstructive half-hour in        
sauntering along the streets in the     
quiet of the evening1 acquainting myself
 with the general aspect of the people4 
,i marked1 as one of the peculiar       
features of the place1 groups of        
tidily-dressed young women1 engaged at  

the close-heads with their straw        
plait1--the prevailing manufacture of   
the town1--and enjoying at the same time
 the fresh air and an easy chat4 ,the   
special contribution made by the lassies
 of ,orkney to the dress of their female
 neighbors all over the empire1 has led 
to much tasteful dressing among         
themselves4 ,orkney1 on its gala1 days1 
is a land of ladies4 ,what seems to be  
the typical countenance of these islands
 unites an aquiline but not prominent   
nose to an oval face4 ,in the ordinary  
,scotch and ,english countenance1 when  
the nose is aquiline it is also         
prominent1 and the face is thin and     
angular1 as if the additional height of 
the central feature had been given it at
 the expense of the cheeks1 and of      
lateral shavings from off the chin4 ,the
 hard ,duke-of-,wellington face is      
illustrative of this type4 ,but in the  
aquiline type of ,orkney the countenance
 is softer and fuller1 and1 in at least 
the female face1 the general contour    

greatly more handsome4 ,dr4 ,kombst1 in 
his ethnographic map of ,britain and    
,ireland1 gives to the coast of         
,caithness and the ,shetland ,islands a 
purely ,scandinavian people1 but to the 
,orkneys a mixed race1 which he         
designates the ,scandinavian-,gaelic4 ,i
 would be inclined1 however1--preferring
 rather to found on those traits of     
person and character that are still     
patent1 than on the unauthenticated     
statements of uncertain history1--to    
regard the people as essentially one    
from the northern extremity of ,shetland
 to the ,ord ,hill of ,caithness4       
,beyond the ,ord ,hill1 and on to the   
northern shores of the ,frith of        
,cromarty1 we find1 though unnoted on   
the map1 a different race1--a race      
strongly marked by the ,celtic          
lineaments1 and speaking the ,gaelic    
tongue4 ,on the southern side of the    
,frith1 and extending on to the ,bay of 
,munlochy1 the purely ,scandinavian race
 again occurs4 ,the sailors of the      

,danish fleet which four years ago      
accompanied the ,crown ,prince in his   
expedition to the ,faroe ,islands were  
astonished when1 on landing at          
,cromarty1 they recognized in the people
 the familiar cast of countenance and   
feature that marked their country folk  
and relatives at home2 and found that   
they were simply ,scandinavians like    
themselves1 who1 having forgotten their 
,danish1 spoke ,scotch instead4 ,rather 
more than a mile to the west of the     
fishing village of ,avoch there         
commences a ,celtic district1 which     
stretches on from ,munlochy to the river
 ,nairne2 beyond which the ,scandinavian
 and ,teutonic-,scandinavian border that
 fringes the eastern coast of ,scotland 
extends unbroken southwards through     
,moray1 ,banff1 and ,aberdeen1 on to    
,forfar1 ,fife1 the ,lothians1 and the  
,mearns4 ,these two intercalated patches
 of ,celtic people in the northern      
tract1--that extending from the ,ord    
,hill to the ,cromarty ,frith1 and that 

extending from the ,bay of ,munlochy to 
the ,nairne1--still retaining1 as they  
do1 after the lapse of ages1 a sharp    
distinctness of boundary in respect of  
language1 character1 and personal       
appearance1 are surely great            
curiosities4 ,the writer of these       
chapters was born on the extreme edge of
 one of these patches1 scarce a mile    
distant from a ,gaelic-speaking         
population2 and yet1 though his humble  
ancestors were located on the spot for  
centuries1 he can find trace among them 
of but one ,celtic name2 and their      
language was exclusively the ,lowland   
,scotch4 ,for many ages the two races1  
like oil and water1 refused to mix4  ,i 
spent the evening very agreeably with   
one of the ,free ,church elders of the  
place1 ,mr4 ,george ,petrie1 an         
accomplished antiquary2 and found that  
his love of the antique1 joined to an   
official connection with the county1 had
 cast into his keeping a number of      
curious old papers of the sixteenth1    

seventeenth1 and eighteenth             
centuries1--not in the least connected1 
some of them1 with the legal and civic  
records of the place1 but which had     
somehow stuck around these1 in their    
course of transmission from one age to  
another1 as a float of brushwood in a   
river occasionally brings down along    
with it1 entangled in its folds1        
uprooted plants and aquatic weeds1 that 
would otherwise have disappeared in the 
cataracts and eddies of the upper       
reaches of the stream4 ,dead as they    
seemed1 spotted with mildew1 and fretted
 by the moth1 ,i found them curiously   
charged with what had once been         
intellect and emotion1 hopes and fears1 
stern business and light amusement4 ,i  
saw1 among the other manuscripts1 a thin
 slip of a book1 filled with jottings1  
in the antique square-headed style of   
notation1 of old ,scotch tunes1         
apparently the work of some musical     
county-clerk of ,orkney in the          
seventeenth century2 but the paper1 in a

 miserable state of decay1 was blotted  
crimson and yellow with the rotting     
damps1 and the ink so faded1 that the   
notation of scarce any single piece in  
the collection seemed legible           
throughout4 ,less valuable and more     
modern1 though curious from their       
eccentricity1 there lay1 in company with
 the music1 several pieces of verse1    
addressed by some ,orcadian ,claud      
,halcro of the last age1 to some local  
patron1 in a vein of compliment rich and
 stiff as a piece of ancient brocade4 ,a
 peremptory letter1 bearing the         
autograph signature of ,mary ,queen of  
,scots1 to ,torquil ,mc,leod of         
,dunvegan1 who had been on the eve1 it  
would seem1 of marrying a daughter of   
,donald of the ,isles1 gave the ,skye   
chieftain1 to wit that1 as he was of the
 blood royal of ,scotland1 he could form
 no matrimonial alliance without the    
royal permission1--a permission which1  
in the case in point1 was not to be     
granted4 ,it served to show that the    

woman who so ill liked to be thwarted in
 her own amours could1 in her character 
as the ,queen1 deal despotically enough 
with the love affairs of other people4  
,side by side with the letter of ,mary  
there were several not less peremptory  
documents of the times of the           
,commonwealth1 addressed to the ,sheriff
 of ,orkney and ,shetland1 in the name  
of his ,highness the ,lord ,protector1  
and that bore the signature of ,george  
,monck4 ,i found them to consist chiefly
 of dunning letters1--such letters as   
those duns write who have victorious    
armies at their back1--for large sums of
 money1 the assessments laid on the     
,orkneys by ,cromwell4 ,another series  
of letters1 some ten or twelve years    
later in their date1 form portions of   
the history of a worthy covenanting     
minister1 the ,rev4 ,alexander ,smith of
 ,colvine1 banished to ,north           
,ronaldshay from the extreme south of   
,scotland1 for the offence of preaching 
the gospel1 and holding meetings for    

social worship in his own house2 and1 as
 if to demonstrate his incorrigibility1 
one of the series1--a letter under his  
own hand1 addressed from his island     
prison to the ,sheriff-,depute in       
,kirkwall1--showed him as determined and
 persevering in the offence as ever4 ,it
 was written immediately after his      
arrival4 ,the poor inhabitants1 says the
 writer1 so many as ,i have yet seen1   
have received me with much joy4 ,i      
intend1 if the ,lord will1 to preach    
,christ to them next ,lord's day1       
without the least mixture of anything   
that may smell of sedition or rebellion4
 ,if ,i be farther troubled for yt1 ,i  
resolve to suffer with meekness and     
patience4 ,the ,galloway minister must  
have been an honest man4 ,deeming       
preaching his true vocation1--a vocation
 from the exercise of which he dared not
 cease1 lest he should render himself   
obnoxious to the woe referred to by the 
apostle1--he yet could not steal a march
 on even the ,sheriff1 whose            

professional duty it was to prevent him 
from doing his2 and so he fairly warned 
him that he proposed breaking the law4  
,the next set of papers in the          
collection dated after the ,revolution1 
and were full charged with an           
enthusiastic ,jacobitisin1 which seems  
to have been a prevalent sentiment in   
,orkney from the death of ,queen ,anne1 
until the disastrous defeat at ,culloden
 quenched in blood the hopes of the     
party4 ,there is a deep cave still shown
 on the shores of ,westray1 within sight
 of the forlorn ,patmos of the poor     
,covenanter1 in which1 when the sun got 
on the ,whig side of the hedge1 twelve  
gentlemen1 who had been engaged in the  
rebellion of #agde1 concealed themselves
 for a whole winter4 ,so perseveringly  
were they sought after1 that during the 
whole time they dared not once light a  
fire1 nor attempt fishing from the rocks
 to supply themselves with food2 and1   
though they escaped the search1 they    
never1 it is said1 completely recovered 

the horrors of their term of dreary     
seclusion1 but bore about with them1 in 
broken constitutions1 the effects of the
 hardships to which they had been       
subjected4 ,they must have had full time
 and opportunity1 during that miserable 
winter1 for testing the justice of the  
policy that had sent poor ,smith into   
exile1 from his snug southern parish in 
the ,presbytery of ,dumfries1 to the    
remotest island of the ,orkneys4 ,the   
great lesson taught in ,providence      
during the seventeenth and part of the  
eighteenth century to our ,scottish     
country folk seems to have been the     
lesson of toleration2 and as they were  
slow1 stubborn scholars1 the lash was   
very frequently and very severely       
applied4 ,one of the ,jacobite papers of
 ,mr4 ,petrie's collection1--a triumphal
 poem on the victory of                 
,gladsmuir1--which1 if less poetical    
than the ,ode of ,hamilton of ,bangour  
on the same subject1 is in no degree    
less curious1--serves to throw very     

decided light on a passage in literary  
history which puzzled ,dr4 ,johnson1 and
 which scarce any one would think of    
going to ,orkney to settle4  ,johnson   
states1 in his ,life of the poet        
,thomson1 that the first operation of   
the act passed in #agci for licensing   
plays was the prohibition of ',gustavus 
,vasa1' a tragedy of ,mr4 ,brook4 ,why  
such a work should be obstructed1 he    
adds1 it is hard to discover4 ,we learn 
elsewhere1--from the compiler of the    
,modern ,universal ,history1 if ,i      
remember aright1--that so popular did   
the prohibitory order of the ,lord      
,chamberlain render the play1 that1 on  
its publication the same year1 not less 
than a thousand pounds were the clear   
produce4 ,it was not1 however1 until    
more than sixty years after1 when both  
,johnson and ,brook were in their       
graves1 that it was deemed safe to      
license it for the stage4 ,now1 the fact
 that a drama1 in itself as little      
dangerous as ,cato or ,douglas1 should  

have been prohibited by the ,government 
of the day1 in the first instance1 and  
should have brought the author1 on its  
publication1 so large a sum in the      
second1 can be accounted for only by a  
reference to the keen partisanship of   
the period1 and the peculiar            
circumstances of parties4 ,the          
,jacobites1 taught by the rebellion of  
#agae at once the value of the          
,highlands and the incompetency of the  
,chevalier ,st4 ,george as a leader1 had
 begun to fix their hopes on the        
,chevalier's son1 ,charles ,edward1 at  
that time a young but promising lad2    
and1 with the tragedy of ,brook before  
them1 neither they1 nor the ,english    
,government of the day could have failed
 to see the foreigner ,george the       
,second typified--unintentionally1      
surely1 on the part of ,brook1 who was a
 ,prince of ,wales ,whig--in the        
foreigner ,christiern the ,second1 the  
,scotch ,highlanders in the             
,mountaineers of ,dalecarlia1 and the   

young ,prince in ,gustavus4 ,in the     
,jacobite manuscript of ,mr4 ,petrie's  
collection1 the parallelism is broadly  
traced2 nor is it in the least probable1
 as the poem is a piece of sad          
mediocrity throughout1 that it is a     
parallelism which was originated by its 
writer4 ,it must have been that of his  
party2 and led1 ,i doubt not1 five years
 before1 to the prohibition of ,brook's 
tragedy1 and to the singular success    
which attended its publication4 ,the    
passage in the manuscript suggestive of 
this view takes the form of an address  
to the victorious prince1 and runs as   
follows3--   ,meanwhile1 unguarded      
youth1 thou stoodst alone2  ,the cruel  
,tyrant urged his ,armie on2  ,but      
,truth and ,goodness were the ,best of  
,arms2  ,and1 fearless ,prince1 ,thou   
smil'd at ,threatened harms4  ,thus1    
,glorious ,vasa worked in ,swedish      
mines1--  ,thus1 ,helpless1 ,saw his    
,enemy's ,designs1--  ,till1 roused1 his
 ,hardy ,highlanders arose1  ,and poured

 ,destruction on their foreign foes4  ,i
 rose betimes next morning1 and crossed 
the ,peerie little ,sea1 a shallow      
prolongation of the ,bay of ,kirkwall1  
cut off from the main sea by an         
artificial mound1 to the quarry of      
,pickoquoy1 somewhat notable1 only a few
 years ago1 as the sole locality in     
which shells had been detected in the   
,old ,red ,sandstone of ,scotland4 ,but 
these have since been found in the      
neighborhood of ,thurso1 by ,mr4 ,robert
 ,dick1 associated with bones and plates
 of the ,asterolepis1 and by ,mr4       
,william ,watt on the opposite side of  
the ,mainland of ,orkney1 at ,marwick   
,head4 ,so far as has yet been          
ascertained1 they are all of one        
species1 and more nearly resemble a     
small ,cyclas than any other shell4     
,they are1 however1 more deeply sulcated
 in concentric lines1 drawn1 as if by a 
pair of compasses1 from the umbone1 and 
somewhat resembling those of the genus  
,astarte1 than any species of ,cyclas   

with which ,i am acquainted4 ,in all the
 specimens ,i have yet seen1 it appears 
to be rather a thick dark epidermis that
 survives1 than the shell which it      
covered2 nay1 it seems not impossible   
that to its thick epidermis1 originally 
an essentially different substance from 
that which composed the calcareous case1
 the shell may have owed its            
preservation as a fossil2 while other   
shells1 its contemporaries1 from the    
circumstance of their having been       
unfurnished with any such covering1 may 
have failed to leave any trace of their 
existence behind them4 ,it seems at     
least difficult to conceive of a sea    
inhabited by many genera of fishes1 each
 divided into several species1 and yet  
furnished with but one species of shell4
 ,i found the quarry of ,pickoquoy1--a  
deep excavation only a few yards beyond 
the high-water mark1 and some two or    
three yards under the high-water        
level1--deserted by the quarrymen1 and  
filled to the brim by the overflowing of

 a small stream4 ,i succeeded1 however1 
in detecting its shells in situ4 ,they  
seem restricted chiefly to a single     
stratum1 scarcely half an inch in       
thickness1 and lie1 not thinly scattered
 over the platform which they occupy1   
but impinging on each other1 like all   
the gregarious shells1 in thickly-set   
groups and clusters4 ,there occur among 
them occasional scales of ,dipteri2 and 
on some of the fragments of rock long   
exposed around the quarry-mouth to the  
weather ,i found them assuming a pale   
nacreous gloss1--an effect1 it is not   
improbable1 of their still retaining1   
attached to the epidermis1 a thin film  
of the original shell4 ,the world's     
history must be vastly more voluminous  
now1 and greatly more varied in its     
contents1 than when the stratum which   
they occupy formed the upper layer of a 
muddy sea-bottom1 and they opened their 
valves by myriads1 to prey on the       
organic atoms which formed their food1  
or shut them again1 startled by the     

shadow of the ,dipterus1 as he descended
 from the upper depths of the water to  
prey upon them in turn4 ,the palate of  
this ancient ganoid is furnished with a 
curious dental apparatus1 formed        
apparenly1 like that of the recent      
wolf-fish1 for the purpose of crushing  
shells4  ,about mid-day ,i set out by   
the mail-gig for ,stromness4 ,for the   
first few miles the road winds through a
 bare solitary valley1 overlooked by    
ungainly heath-covered hills of no great
 altitude1 though quite tall enough to  
prevent the traveller from seeing       
anything but themselves4 ,as he passes  
on1 the valley opens in front on an arm 
of the sea1 over which the range of     
hills on the right abruptly terminates1 
while that on the left deflects into a  
line nearly parallel to the shore1      
leaving a comparatively level strip of  
moory land1 rather more than a mile in  
breadth1 between the steeper acclivities
 and the beach4 ,a tall naked house     
rises between the road and the sea4 ,two

 low islands immediately behind it1 only
 a few acres in extent1--one of them    
bearing a small ruin on its apex1--give 
a little variety to the central point in
 the prospect which the naked house     
forms2 but the arm of the sea1 bordered1
 at the time ,i passed1 by a broad brown
 selvage of sea-weed1 is as tame and    
flat as a ,dutch lake2 the background   
beyond1 a long monotonous ridge1 is bare
 and treeless2 and in front lies the    
brown moory plain1 bordered by the dull 
line of hills and darkened by scattered 
stacks of peat4  ,the scene is not at   
all such a one as a poet would1 for its 
own sake1 delight to fancy2 and yet1 in 
the recollection of at least one very   
pleasing poet1 its hills1 and islands1  
and blue arm of the sea1 its brown moory
 plain1 and tall naked house rising in  
the midst1 must have been surrounded by 
a sunlit atmosphere of love and desire1 
bright enough to impart to even its     
tamest features a glow of exquisiteness 
and beauty4 ,malcolm the poet was born1 

and spent his years of boyhood and early
 youth1 in the tall naked house2 and the
 surrounding landscape is that to which 
he refers in his ,tales of ,flood and   
,field1 as rising in imagination before 
him1 bright in the red gleam of the     
setting sun1 when1 on the steep slopes  
of the ,pyrenees1 the silent stars of   
night were twinkling high over his head1
 and the tents of the soldiery          
glimmering pale through the gloom4 ,the 
tall house is the manse of the parish of
 ,frith and ,stennis2 and the poet was  
the son of the ,rev4 ,john ,malcolm1 its
 minister4 ,here1 when yet a mere lad1  
dreaming1 in the quiet obscurity of an  
,orkney parish1 far removed from the    
seat of war and the literary circles1 of
 poetic celebrity and military renown1  
he addressed a letter to the ,duke of   
,kent1 the father of our ,sovereign     
,lady the reigning ,monarch1 expressing 
an ardent wish to obtain a commission in
 the army then engaged in the           
,peninsula4 ,the letter was such as to  

excite the interest of his ,royal       
,highness1 who replied to it by return  
of post1 requesting the writer to       
proceed forthwith to ,london2 for which 
he immediately set out1 and was received
 by the ,duke with courtesy and         
kindness4 ,he was instructed by him to  
take ship for ,spain1 in which he       
arrived as volunteer2 and1 joining the  
army1 engaged at the time in the siege  
of ,st4 ,sebastian1 under ,general      
,graham1 he was promoted shortly after1 
through the influence of his generous   
patron1 to a lieutenancy in the #db;d   
,highlanders4 ,he served in that        
distinguished regiment on to the closing
 campaign of the ,pyrenees2 but received
 at the battle of ,toulouse a wound so  
severe as to render him ever after      
incapable of active bodily exertion2 and
 so he had to retire from the army on   
half-pay1 and a pension honorably       
earned4 ,the history of his career as a 
soldier he has told with singular       
interest1 in one of the earlier volumes 

of ,constable's ,miscellany2 and his    
poems abound in snatches of description 
painfully true1 drawn from his          
experience of the military life1--of    
scenes of stern misery and grim         
desolation1 of injuries received1 and of
 sufferings inflicted1--that must have  
contrasted sadly in his mind1 in their  
character as gross realities1 with the  
dreamy visions of conquest and glory in 
which he had indulged at an earlier     
time4 ,the ruin of ,st4 ,sebastian1     
complete enough1 and attended with      
circumstances of the horrible extreme   
enough1 to appal men long acquainted    
with the trade of war1 must have        
powerfully impressed an imaginative     
susceptible lad1 fresh from the         
domesticities of a rural manse1 in whose
 quiet neighborhood the voice of battle 
had not been heard for centuries1 and   
surrounded by a simple people1          
remarkable for the respect which they   
bear to human life4 ,in all probability1
 the power evinced in his description of

 the siege1 and of the utter desolation 
in which it terminated1 is in part owing
 to the fresh impressibility of his mind
 at the time4 ,such1 at least1 was my   
feeling regarding it1 as ,i caught      
myself muttering some of its more       
graphic passages1 and saw1 from the     
degree of alarm evinced by the boy who  
drove the mail-gig1 that the sounds were
 not quite lost in the rattle of that   
somewhat rickety vehicle1 and that he   
had come to entertain serious doubts    
respecting the sanity of his            
passenger3--   ,sebastian1 when ,i saw  
thee last1    ,it was in ,desolation's  
day1  ,as through thy voiceless streets 
,i passed1    ,thy piles in heaps of    
rubbish lay2  ,the roofless fragments of
 each wall  ,bore many a dent of shell  
and ball2  ,with blood were all thy     
gateways red1  ,and thou1--a city of the
 dead6     ,with fire and sword thy     
walks were swept3  ,exploded mines thy  
streets had heaped  ,in hills of        
rubbish2 they had been  ,traversed by   

gabion and fascine1  ,with cannon       
lowering in the rear  ,in dark array1--a
 deadly tier1--  ,whose thunder-clouds1 
with fiery breath1  ,sent far around    
their iron death2  ,the bursting shell1 
in fragments flung  ,athwart the skies1 
at midnight sung1  ,or1 on its airy     
pathway sent1  ,its meteors sweep the   
firmament4  ,thy castle1 towering o'er  
the shore1  ,keeled on its rock amidst  
the roar  ,of thousand thunders1 for it 
stood  ,in circle of a fiery flood2     
,and crumbling masses fiercely sent     
,from its high frowning battlement1     
,smote by the shot and whistling shell1 
,with groan and crash in ruin fell4     
,through desert streets the mourner     
passed1  ,midst-walls that spectral     
shadows east1  ,like some fair spirit   
wailing o'er  ,the failed scenes it     
loved of yore2  ,no human voice was     
heard to bless  ,that place of waste and
 loneliness4     ,i saw at eve the      
night-bird fly1  ,and vulture dimly     
flitting by1  ,to revel o'er each morsel

 stolen  ,from the cold corse1 all black
 and swoln  ,that on the shattered      
ramparts lay1  ,of him who perished     
yesterday1--  ,of him whose pestilential
 steam  ,rose reeking on the morning    
beam1--  ,whose fearful fragments1      
nearly gone1  ,were blackening from the 
bleaching bone4     ,the house-dog      
bounded o'er each scene  ,where cisterns
 had so lately been3  ,away in frantic  
haste he sprung1  ,and sought to cool   
his burning tongue4  ,he howled1 and to 
his famished cry  ,the dreary echoes    
gave reply2  ,and owlet's dirge1 through
 shadows dim1  ,rolled back in sad      
response to him4  ,the father was       
succeeded in his parish by the brother  
of ,malcolm1--a gentleman to whom1      
during my stay in ,orkney1 ,i took the  
liberty of introducing myself in his    
snug little ,free ,church manse at the  
head of the bay1 and in whose possession
 ,i found the only portrait of the poet 
which exists4 ,it is that of a handsome 
and interesting looking young man1      

though taken not many years before his  
death2 for1 like the greater number of  
his class1 he did not live to be an old 
one1 dying under forty4 ,his brother the
 clergyman kindly accompanied me to two 
quarries in the neighborhood of his new 
domicil1 which ,i found1 like almost all
 the dry-stone fences of the district1  
speckled with scales1 occipital plates1 
and gill-covers1 of ,osteolepides and   
,dipteri1 but containing no entire      
ichthyolites4 ,he had taken his side in 
the ,church controversy1 he told me1    
firmly1 but quietly2 and when the       
,disruption came1 and he found it       
necessary to quit the old manse1 which  
had been a home to his family for well  
nigh two generations1 and in which both 
he and his brother had been born1 he    
scarce knew what his people were to do1 
nor in what proportion he was to have   
followers among them4 ,somewhat to his  
surprise1 however1 they came out with   
him almost to a man2 so that his        
successor in the parish church had      

sometimes1 he understood1 to preach to  
congregations scarcely exceeding half a 
dozen4 ,i had learned elsewhere how     
thoroughly ,mr4 ,malcolm was loved and  
respected by his parishioners2 and that 
unconsciousness on his own part of the  
strength of their affection and esteem1 
which his statement evinced1 formed1 ,i 
thought1 a very pleasing trait1 and one 
that harmonized well with the           
finely-toned unobtrusiveness and        
unconscious elegance which characterized
 the genius of his deceased brother4 ,a 
little beyond the ,free ,church manse   
the road ascends between stone walls1   
abounding in fragments of ichthyolites1 
weathered blue by exposure to the sun   
and wind2 and the top of the eminence   
forms the water-shed in this part of the
 ,mainland1 and introduces the traveller
 to a scene entirely new4 ,the prospect 
is of considerable extent2 and1 what    
seems strange in ,orkney1 nowhere       
presents the traveller1--though it      
contains its large inland lake1--with a 

glimpse of the sea4     ,,chapter ,,xii4
       ,hills of ,orkney--,their        
,geologic ,composition--,scene of       
,scott's                                
,pirate--,stromness--,geology of the    
,district--,seeking                     
beasts--,conglomerate in contact with   
,granite--,a palaeozoic ,hudson's       
,bay--,thickness of ,conglomerate of    
,orkney--,oldest ,vertebrate yet        
discovered in ,orkney--,its             
,size--,figure of a characteristic plate
 of      the ,asterolepis--,peculiarity 
of ,old ,red ,fishes--,length of the    
,asterolepis--,a rich ,ichthyolite      
,bed--,arrangement of the               
,layers--,queries as to the ,cause of   
it--,minerals--,an abandoned            
,mine--,a lost ,vessel--,kelp for       
,iodine--,a dangerous ,coast--,incidents
      of                                
,shipwreck--,hospitality--,stromness    
,museum--,diplopterus mistaken      for 
,dipterus--,their ,resemblances and     
,differences--,visit to a               

remarkable ,stack--,paring the ,soil for
 ,fuel1 and consequent                  
,barrenness--,description of the        
,stack--,wave-formed ,caves--,height to 
which the ,surf rises4   ,the ,orkneys1 
like the mainland of ,scotland1 exhibit 
their higher hills and precipices on    
their western coasts3 the ,ward ,hill of
 ,hoy attains to an elevation of sixteen
 hundred feet2 and there are some of the
 precipices which skirt the island of   
which it forms so conspicuous a feature1
 that rise sheer over the breakers from 
eight hundred to a thousand4 ,unlike1   
however1 the arrangement on the         
mainland1 it is the newer rocks that    
attain to the higher elevations2 the    
heights of ,hoy are composed of that    
arenaceous upper member of the ,lower   
,old ,red ,sandstone1--the last formed  
of the ,palaeozoic deposits of          
,orkney1--which overlies the            
ichthyolitic flagstones and shales of   
,caithness at ,dunnet ,head1 and the    
ichthyolitic nodular beds of ,inverness1

 ,ross1 and ,cromarty1 at ,culloden1    
,tarbet ,ness1 within the ,northern     
,sutor1 and along the bleak ridge of the
 ,maolbuie4 ,it is simply a tall upper  
story of the formation1 erected along   
the western line of coast in the        
,orkneys1 which the eastern line wholly 
wants4 ,its screen of hills forms a     
noble background to the prospect which  
opens on the traveller as he ascends the
 eminence beyond the ,free ,church manse
 of ,frith and ,stennis4 ,a large lake1 
bare and treeless1 like all the other   
lakes and lochs of ,orkney1 but         
picturesque of outline1 and divided into
 an upper and lower sheet of water by   
two low1 long promontories1 that jut out
 from opposite sides1 and so nearly meet
 as to be connected by a threadlike line
 of road1 half mound1 half bridge1      
occupies the middle distance4 ,there are
 moory hills and a few cottages in      
front2 and on the promontories1         
conspicuous in the landscape1 from the  
relief furnished by the blue ground of  

the surrounding waters1 stand the tall  
stones of ,stennis1--one group on the   
northern promontory1 the other on the   
south4 ,a gray old-fashioned house1 of  
no very imposing appearance1 rises      
between the road and the lake4 ,it is   
the house of ,stennis1 or ,turmister1 in
 which ,scott places some of the        
concluding scenes of the ,pirate1 and   
from which he makes ,cleveland and his  
fantastic admirer ,jack ,bunce witness  
the final engagement1 in the bay of     
,stromness1 between the ,halcyon sloop  
of war and the savage ,goffe4 ,nor does 
it matter anything that neither sea nor 
vessels can be seen from the house of   
,turmister3 the fact which would be so  
fatal to a dishonest historian tells    
with no effect against the honest maker1
 responsible for but the management of  
his tale4  ,i got on to ,stromness2 and 
finding1 after making myself comfortable
 in my inn1 that ,i had a fine bright   
evening still before me1 longer by some 
three or four degrees of north latitude 

than the ,july evenings of ,edinburgh1  
,i set out1 hammer in hand1 to explore4 
,stromness is a long1 narrow1 irregular 
strip of a town1 fairly thrust by a     
steep hill into the sea1 on which it    
encroaches in a broken line of          
wharf-like bulwarks1 along which1 at    
high water1 vessels of a hundred tons   
burden float so immediately beside the  
houses1 that their pennants on gala days
 wave over the chimney tops4 ,the steep 
hill forms part of a granitic axis1     
about six miles in length by a mile in  
breadth1 which forms the backbone of the
 district1 and against which the ,great 
,conglomerate and lower schists of the  
,old ,red are upturned at a rather high 
angle4 ,it is wrapped round in some     
places by a thin caul of the stratified 
primary rocks4 ,immediately over the    
town1 on the brow of the eminence1 where
 the granitic axis had been laid bare in
 digging a foundation for the ,free     
,church manse1 ,i saw numerous masses of
 schistose-gneiss1 passing in some of   

the beds into a coarse-grained          
mica-schist1 and a lustrous hornblendic 
slate1 that had been quarried from over 
it1 and which may be still seen built up
 into the garden-wall of the erection4  
,i walked out towards the west1 to      
examine the junction of the granite and 
the ,great ,conglomerate1 where it is   
laid bare by the sea1 little more than a
 quarter of a mile outside the town4    
,there was a horde of noisy urchins a   
little beyond the inn1 who1 having seen 
me alight from the mail-gig1 had        
determined in their own minds that ,i   
was engaged in the political canvass    
going forward at the time1 but had not  
quite ascertained my side4 ,they now    
divided into two parties2 and when the  
one1 as ,i passed1 set up a ,hurra for  
,dundas1 the other met them from the    
opposite side of the street1 with a     
counter cry of ,anderson forever4       
,immediately after clearing the houses1 
,i was accosted by a man from the       
country4 ,ye'll be seeking beasts1 he   

said3 what price are cattle gi'en the   
noo8 ,yes1 seeking beasts1 ,i replied1  
but very old ones3 ,i have come to      
hammer your rocks for petrified fish4 ,i
 see1 ,i see1 said the man2 ,i took ye  
by ye'er gray plaid for a drover2 but ,i
 ken something about the stane fish too2
 there's lots o' them in the quarries at
 ,skaill4  ,i found the great           
,conglomerate in immediate contact with 
the granite1 which is a ternary of the  
usual components1 somewhat intermediate 
in color between that of ,peterhead and 
,aberdeen1 and which at this point bears
 none of the caul of stratified primary 
rock by which it is overlaid on the brow
 of the hill4 ,when the great           
,conglomerate1 which is mainly composed 
of it here1 was in the act of forming1  
this granite must have been one of the  
surface rocks of the locality1 and in no
 respect a different stone from what it 
is now4 ,the widely-spread ,conglomerate
 base of the ,old ,red ,sandstone1 which
 presents1 over an area of so many      

thousand square miles1 such an identity 
of character1 that specimens taken from 
the neighborhood of ,lerwick1 in        
,shetland1 can scarce be distinguished  
from specimens detached from the hills  
which rise over the great ,caledonian   
,valley1 contains in various places1 as 
under the ,northern ,sutor1 for         
instance1 and along the shores of       
,navity1 fragments of rock which have   
not been detected in situ in the        
districts in which they occur as        
agglomerated pebbles4 ,in general1      
however1 we find it composed of the     
debris of those very granites and       
gneisses which1 as in the case of the   
granitic axis here1 were forced through 
it1 and through the overlying deposits1 
by deep-seated convulsions1 long        
posterior in date to its formation4 ,it 
appears to have been formed in a vast   
oceanic basin of primary rock1--a       
,palaeozoic ,hudson's or ,baffin's      
,bay1--partially surrounded1 mayhap1 by 
bare primary continents1 swept by       

numerous streams1 rapid and headlong1   
and charged with the broken debris of   
the inhospitable regions which they     
drained4 ,the graptolite-bearing        
grauwacke of ,banffshire seems to have  
been the only fossiliferous rock that   
occurred throughout the extent of this  
ancient northern basin4 ,the            
,conglomerate of ,orkney1 like that of  
,moray and ,ross1 varies from fifty to a
 hundred yards in thickness4 ,it is not 
overlaid in this section by the thick   
bed of coarse-grained sandstone1 so     
well-marked a member of the formation at
 ,cromarty1 ,nigg1 and ,gamrie1 and     
along the northern shores of the ,beauly
 ,frith2 but at once passes into those  
gray bituminous flagstones so immensely 
developed in ,caithness and the         
,orkneys4 ,i traced the formation       
upwards this evening1 walking along the 
edges of the upheaved strata1 from where
 the ,conglomerate leans against the    
granite1 till where it merges into the  
gray flagstones1 and then pursued these 

from older and lower to newer and higher
 layers1 anxious to ascertain at what   
distance over the base the more ancient 
organisms of the system first appear1   
and what their character and kind4 ,and 
little more than a hundred yards over   
the granite1 and somewhat less than a   
hundred feet over the upper stratum of  
the great ,conglomerate1 ,i found what  
,i sought1--a well-marked bone1 perhaps 
the oldest vertebrate remain yet        
discovered in ,orkney1 embedded in a    
light grayish-colored layer of hard     
flag4  ,what1 asks the reader1 was the  
character of the ancient denizen of the 
,palaeozoic basin of which it had formed
 a part8 ,was it a large or small fish1 
or of a high or low order8 ,not         
certainly of a low order1 and by no     
means of a small size4 ,the organism in 
the rock was a specimen of that curious 
nail-shaped bone of the ,asterolepis    
which occurs as a central ridge in the  
single plate that occupies in this genus
 the wide curve of the under jaw1 and as

 it was fully five inches in length from
 head to point1 the plate to which it   
belonged must have measured ten inches  
across1 and the frontal occipital       
buckler with which it was associated1   
one foot two inches in length 7not      
including the three accessory plates at 
the nape71 by ten inches in breadth4    
,and if built1 as it probably was1 in   
the same massy proportions as its       
brother ,coelacanths the ,holoptychius  
or ,glyptolepis1 the individual to which
 the nail-shaped bone belonged must have
 been1 judging from the size of the     
corresponding parts in these            
ichthyolites1 at least twice as large an
 animal as the splendid ,clashbennie    
,holoptychius of the ,upper ,old ,red1  
now in the ,british ,museum4 ,the       
bulkiest icthyolites yet found in any of
 the divisions of the ,old ,red system  
are of the genus ,asterolepis2 and to   
this genus1 and to evidently an         
individual of no inconsiderable size1   
this oldest of the organisms of the     

,orkney belonged4 ,i was so interested  
in the fact1 that before leaving this   
part of the country1 ,i brought ,dr4    
,garson1 ,stromness1 and ,mr4 ,william  
,watt1 jun41 ,skaill1 both very         
intelligent palaeontologists1 to mark   
the place and character of the fossil1  
that they might be able to point it out 
to geological visitors in the future1   
or1 if they preferred removing it to    
their town ,museum1 to indicate to them 
the stratum in which it had lain4 ,for  
the present1 ,i merely request the      
reader to mark1 in the passing1 that the
 most ancient organic remain yet found  
in the ,old ,red of this part of the    
country1 nay1 judging from its place1   
one of the most ancient yet found in    
,scotland1--so far as ,i know1          
absolutely the most ancient1--belonged  
to a ganoid as bulky as a large         
porpoise1 and which1 as shown by its    
teeth and jaws1 possessed that peculiar 
organization which characterized the    
reptile fish of the ,upper ,devonian and

 ,carboniferous periods4 ,as there are1 
however1 no calculations more doubtful  
or more to be suspected than those on   
which the size and bulk of the extinct  
animals are determined from some        
surviving fragment of their             
remains1--plate or bone1--,i must       
attempt laying before the scientific    
reader at least a portion of the data on
 which ,i found4  ,illustration  ,this  
figure represents not inadequately one  
of the most characteristic plates of the
 ,asterolepis4 ,a very considerable     
fragment of what seems to be the same   
plate has been figured by ,agassiz from 
a cast of one of the huge specimens of  
,professor ,asmus 7,old ,red1 ,table    
#cb1 ,fig4 #ac72 but as no evidence     
regarding its true place had turned up  
at the time it was supposed by the      
naturalist to form part of the opercular
 covering of the animal4 ,it belonged1  
however1 to a different portion of the  
head4 ,in almost all the fish that      
appear at our tables the space which    

occurs within the arched sweep of the   
lower jaws is mainly occupied by a      
complicated osseous mechanism1 known to 
anatomists as the hyoid bone and        
branchiostegous rays2 and which serves  
both to support the branchial arches and
 the branchiostegous membrane4 ,now1 in 
the fish of the ,old ,red ,sandstone1 if
 we except some of the ,acanthodians1 we
 find no trace of this piece of         
mechanism3 the arched space is covered  
over with dermal plates of bone1 as a   
window is filled up with panes4 ,three  
plates1 resembling very considerably the
 three divisions of a pointed ,gothic   
window1 furnished with a single central 
mullion1 divided atop into two branches1
 occupied the space in the genera       
,osteolepis and ,diplopterus2 and two   
plates resembling the divisions of a    
pointed ,gothic window1 whose single    
central mullion does not branch atop1   
filled it up in the genera ,holoptychius
 and ,glyptolepis4 ,in the genus        
,asterolepis this arch-shaped space was 

occupied1 as ,i have said1 by a single  
plate1--that represented in the         
wood-cut2 and the nail-shaped bone rose 
on its internal surface along the       
centre1--the nail-head resting          
immediately beneath the centre of the   
arch1 and the nail-point bordering on   
the isthmus below1 at which the two     
shoulder-bones terminated4 ,now1 in all 
the specimens which ,i have yet         
examined1 the form and proportions of   
this plate are such that it can be very 
nearly inscribed in a semi-circle1 of   
which the length of the nail is the     
radius4 ,a nail five inches in length   
must have belonged to a plate ten inches
 in its longer diameter4 ,i have        
ascertained further1 that this longer   
diameter was equal to the shorter       
diameter of the creature's frontal      
buckler1 measured across about two      
thirds of its entire length from the    
nape2 and that a transverse diameter of 
ten inches at this point was associated 
in the buckler with a longitudinal      

diameter of fourteen inches from the    
nape to the snout4 ,thus five inches    
along the nail represent fourteen inches
 along the occipital shield4 ,the       
proportion1 however1 which the latter   
bore to the entire body in this genus   
has still to be determined4 ,the        
corresponding frontal shield in the     
,coccosteus was equal to about one-fifth
 the creature's entire length1 and in   
the ,osteolepis and ,diplopterus1 to    
nearly one-seventh its length2 while the
 length of the ,glyptolepis leptopterus1
 a fish of the same family as the       
,asterolepis1 was about five and a half 
times that of its occipital shield4 ,if 
the ,asterolepis was formed in the      
proportions of the ,diplopterus1 the    
ancient individual to which this        
nail-like bone belonged must have been  
about eight feet two inches in length2  
but if moulded1 as it more probably was1
 in the proportions of the ,glyptolepis1
 only six feet five inches4 ,all the    
,coelacanths1 however1 were exceedingly 

massive in proportion to their length2  
they were fish built in the square1     
muscular1 thick-set1 ,dirk-,hatterick   
and ,balfour-of-,burley style2 and of   
the ,russian specimens1 some of the     
larger bones must have belonged to      
individuals of from twice to thrice the 
length of the ,stromness one4  ,passing 
upwards along the strata1 step by step1 
as along a fallen stair1 each stratum   
presenting a nearly perpendicular front1
 but losing1 in the downward slant of   
the tread1 as a carpenter would say1 the
 height attained in the rise1 ,i came1  
about a quarter of a mile farther to the
 west1 and several hundred feet higher  
in the formation1 upon a fissile        
dark-colored bed1 largely charged with  
ichthyolites4 ,the fish ,i found ranged 
in three layers1--the lower layer       
consisting almost exclusively of        
,dipterians1 chiefly ,osteolepides2 the 
middle layer1 of ,acanthodians1 of the  
genera ,cheiracanthus and ,diplacanthus2
 and the upper layer1 of ,cephalaspides1

 mostly of one species1 the ,coccosteus 
decipiens4 ,i found exactly the same    
arrangement in a bed considerably higher
 in the system1 which occurs a full mile
 farther on1--the ,dipterians at the    
bottom1 the ,acanthodians in the middle1
 and the ,cephalaspides atop2 and was   
informed by ,mr4 ,william ,watt1 a      
competent authority in the case1 that   
the arrangement is comparatively a      
common one in the quarries of ,orkney4  
,how account for the phenomenon8 ,how   
account for the three storeys1 and the  
apportionment of the floors1 like those 
of a great city1 each to its own        
specific class of society8 ,why should  
the first floor be occupied by          
,osteolepides1 the second by            
,cheiracanthi and their congeners1 and  
the third by ,coccostei8 ,was the       
arrangement an effect of normal         
differences in the constitutions of the 
several families1 operated upon by some 
deleterious gas or mineral poison1      
which1 though it eventually destroyed   

the whole1 did not so simultaneously1   
but consecutively1--the families of     
weakest constitution first1 and the     
strongest last8 ,or were they           
exterminated by some disease1 that      
seized upon the families1 not at once1  
but in succession8 ,or did they visit   
the locality serially1 as the haddock   
now visits our coasts in spring1 and the
 herring towards the close of summer2   
and were then killed off1 whether by    
poison or disease1 as they came8 ,these 
are questions which may never be        
conclusively answered4 ,it is well1     
however1 to observe1 as a curious       
geological fact1 that peculiar          
arrangement of the fossils by which they
 are suggested1 and to record the       
various instances in which it occurs4   
,the minerals which ,i remarked among   
the schists here as most abundant are a 
kind of black ironstone1 exceedingly    
tough and hard1 occurring in detached   
masses1 and a variety of bright pyrites 
disseminated among the darker           

flagstones1 either as                   
irregularly-formed1 brassy-looking      
concretions of small size1 or spread out
 on their surfaces in thin leaf-like    
films1 that resemble1 in some of the    
specimens1 the icy-foliage with which a 
severe frost encrusts a window-pane4    
,still further on ,i came upon a vein of
 galena2 but a miner's excavation in the
 solid rock1 a little above high-water  
mark1 quite as dark and nearly as narrow
 as a fox-earth1 showed me that it had  
been known long before1 and1 as the     
workings seemed to have been deserted   
for ages1 known to but little purpose4  
,the crystals of ore1 small and thinly  
scattered1 are embedded in a matrix of  
barytes1 stromnite1 and other kindred   
minerals1 and the thickness of the      
entire vein is not very considerable4 ,i
 have since learned1 from the           
,statistical ,account of the ,parish of 
,sandwick1 that the workings of the mine
 penetrate into the rock for about a    
hundred yards1 but that it has been long

 abandoned1 as a speculation which would
 not pay4  ,i observed scattered over   
the beach1 in the neighborhood of the   
lead mine1 considerable quantities of   
the hard chalk of ,england2 and1 judging
 there could be no deposits of the hard 
chalk in this neighborhood1 ,i addressed
 myself on my way back1 to a kelp-burner
 engaged in wrapping up his fire for the
 night with a thick covering of weed1 to
 ascertain how it had come there4 ,ah1  
master1 he replied1 that chalk is all   
that remains of a fine large ,english   
vessel1 that was knocked to pieces here 
a few years ago4 ,she was ballasted with
 the chalk2 and as it is a light sort of
 stone1 the surf has washed it ashore   
from that low reef in the middle of the 
tideway where she struck and broke up4  
,most of the sailors1 poor fellows1 lie 
in the old churchyard1 beside the broken
 ruin yonder4 ,it is a deadly shore this
 to seafaring-men4 ,i had understood    
that the kelp-trade was wholly at an end
 in ,orkney2 and1 remarking that the    

sea-weed which he employed was chiefly  
of one kind1--the long brown fronds of  
tang dried in the sun1--,i inquired of  
him to what purpose the substance was   
now employed1 seeing that barilla and   
the carbonate of soda had supplanted it 
in the manufacture of soap and glass1   
and why he was so particular in         
selecting his weed4 ,it's some valuable 
medicine1 he said1 that's made of the   
kelp now3 ,i forget its name2 but it's  
used for bad sores and cancer2 and we   
must be particular in our weed1 for it's
 not every kind of weed that has the    
medicine in't4 ,there's most of it1     
we're told1 in the leaves of the tang4  
,is the name of the drug1 ,i asked1     
iodine8 ,ay1 that must be just it1 he   
replied1--iodine2 but it doesn't make   
such a demand for kelp as the glass and 
the soap4 ,i afterwards learned that the
 kelp-burner's character of this strip  
of coast1 as peculiarly fatal to the    
mariner1 was borne out by many a sad    
casualty1 too largely charged with the  

wild and the horrible to be lightly     
forgotten4 ,the respected ,free ,church 
clergyman of ,stromness1 ,mr4           
,learmonth1 informed me that1 ere the   
,disruption1 while yet minister of the  
parish1 there were on one sad occasion  
eight dead bodies carried of a ,sabbath 
morning to his manse door4 ,some of the 
incidents connected with these terrible 
shipwrecks1 as related with much graphic
 effect by a boatman who carried me     
across the sound1 on an exploratory     
ramble to the island of ,hoy1 struck me 
as of a character considerably beyond   
the reach of the mere dealer in fiction4
 ,the master of one hapless vessel1 a   
young man1 had brought his wife and only
 child with him on the voyage destined  
to terminate so mournfully2 and when the
 vessel first struck1 he had rushed down
 to the cabin to bring them both on     
deck1 as their only chance of safety4   
,he had1 however1 unthinkingly shut the 
cabin-door after him2 a second          
tremendous blow1 as not unfrequently    

happens in such cases1 so affected the  
framework of the sides and deck1 that   
the door was jammed fast in its frame4  
,and long ere it could be cut open1--for
 no human hand could unfasten it1--the  
vessel had filled to the beams1 and     
neither the master nor his wife and     
child were ever seen more4 ,in another  
ship1 wrecked within a cable-length of  
the beach1 the mate1 a man of ,herculean
 proportions1 and a skilful swimmer1    
stripped and leaped overboard1 not      
doubting his ability to reach the shore4
 ,but he had failed to remark what in   
such circumstances is too often         
forgotten1 that the element on which he 
flung himself1 beaten into foam against 
the shallows1 was1 according to ,mr4    
,bremner's shrewd definition1 not water1
 but a mixture of water and air1        
specifically lighter than the human     
body2 and so at the shore1 though so    
close at hand1 he never arrived1        
disappearing almost at the vessel's     
side4 ,the ground was rough1 said my    

informant1 and the sea ran mountains    
high2 and ,i can scarce tell you how ,i 
shuddered on finding1 long ere his      
corpse was thrown up1 his two eyes      
detached from their sockets1 staring    
from a wreath of sea-weed4 ,there is in 
this last circumstance1 horrible enough 
surely for the wildest ,german tale ever
 written1 a unique singularity1 which   
removes it beyond the reach of          
invention4  ,at my inn ,i found a       
pressing invitation awaiting me from the
 ,free ,church manse1 which ,i was urged
 to make my home so long as ,i remained 
in that part of the country4 ,a         
geologist1 however1 fairly possessed by 
the enthusiasm without which weak man   
can accomplish nothing1--whether he be a
 deer-stalker or mammoth-fancier1 or    
angle for live salmon or dead           
,pterichthyes1--has a trick of          
forgetting the right times of dining and
 taking tea1 and of throwing the burden 
of his bodily requirements on early     
extempore breakfasts and late suppers2  

and so reporting myself a man of        
irregular habits and bad hours1 whose   
movements could not in the least be     
depended upon1 ,i had to decline the    
hospitality which would fain have       
adopted me as its guest1 notwithstanding
 the badness of the character that1 in  
common honesty1 ,i had to certify as my 
own4 ,next morning ,i breakfasted at the
 manse1 and was introduced by ,mr4      
,learmonth to two gentlemen of the      
place1 who had been kindly invited to   
meet with me1 and who1 from their       
acquaintance with the geology of the    
district enabled me to make the best use
 of my time1 by cutting direct on those 
cliffs and quarries in the neighborhood 
in which organic remains had been       
detected1 instead of wearily            
re-discovering them for myself4 ,there  
is a small but interesting museum in    
,stromness1 rich in the fossils of the  
locality2 and ,i began the geologic     
business of the day by devoting an hour 
to the examination of its organisms1    

chiefly ichthyolites4 ,i saw among them 
several good specimens of the genus     
,pterichthys1 and of what is elsewhere  
one of the rarer genera of the          
,dipterians1--the ,diplopterus4 ,a      
well-marked individual of the latter    
genus had1 ,i found1 been misnamed      
,dipterus by some geological visitor who
 had recently come the way1--a mistake  
which1 as in both ichthyolites the fins 
are similarly placed1 occasionally      
occurs1 but which may be easily avoided1
 when the specimens are in a tolerable  
state of preservation1 by taking note of
 a few well-marked characteristics by   
which the genera are distinguished4 ,in 
both ,dipterus and ,diplopterus the     
bright enamel of the scales was thickly 
punctulated by microscopic points1--the 
exterior terminations of funnel-shaped  
openings1 that communicated between the 
surface and the cells of the middle     
table of the scale2 but the form of the 
scales themselves was different1--that  
of the ,dipterus being nearly circular1 

and that of the ,diplopterus1 save on   
the dorsal ridge1 rhomboidal4 ,again1   
the lateral line of the ,diplopterus was
 a raised line1 running as a ridge along
 the scales2 whereas that of the        
,dipterus was a depressed one1 existing 
as a furrow4 ,their heads1 too1 were    
covered by an entirely dissimilar       
arrangement of plates4 ,the rounded     
snout-plate of the ,diplopterus was     
suddenly contracted to nearly one-half  
its breadth by two semi-circular        
inflections1 which formed the orbits of 
the eyes2 full in the centre1 a little  
above these1 a minute1 lozenge-shaped   
plate seemed as if inlaid in the larger 
one1 the analogue1 apparently1 of the   
anterior frontal2 and over all there    
expanded a broad plate1 the superior    
frontal1 half divided vertically by a   
line drawn downwards from the nape1     
which1 however1 stopped short in the    
middle2 and fretted transversely by two 
small but deeply-indented rectangular   
marks1 which1 crossing from the central 

to two lateral plates1 assumed the      
semblance of connecting pins4 ,the snout
 of the ,dipterus was less round2 it    
bore no mark of the eye-orbits2 and the 
frontal buckler1 broader in proportion  
to its length than that of the          
,diplopterus1 consisted of many more    
plates4 ,i may here mention that the    
frontal buckler of ,diplopterus has not 
yet been figured nor described2 whereas 
that of ,dipterus1 though unknown as    
such1 has been given to the world as the
 occipital covering of a supposed       
,cephalaspian1--the ,polyphractus4      
,polyphractus is1 however1 in reality a 
synonym for ,dipterus1--the one name    
being derived from a peculiarity of the 
animal's fins3 the other1 from the great
 number of its occipital plates4 ,there 
is no science founded on mere           
observation that can be altogether free1
 in its earlier stages1 from mistakes of
 this character1--mistakes to which the 
palaeontologist1 however skilful1 is    
peculiarly liable4 ,the teeth of the two

 genera were essentially different4     
,those of the ,dipterus1 exclusively    
palatal1 were blunt and squat1 and      
ranged in two rectangular patches2#bb   
while those of the ,diplopterus bristled
 along its jaws and were slender and    
sharp4 ,their tails1 too1 though both   
heterocercal1 were diverse in their     
type4 ,in each1 an angular strip of     
gradually-diminishing scales1--a        
prolongation of the scaly coat which    
protected the body1 and which covered   
here a prolongation of the vertebral    
column1--ran on to the extreme          
termination of the upper lobe2 but there
 was in the ,diplopterus a greatly      
larger development of fin on the        
superior or dorsal side of the scaly    
strip than on that of the ,dipterus4 ,if
 the caudal fin of the ,osteolepis be   
divided longitudinally into six equal   
parts1 it will be found that one of     
these occurs on the upper side of the   
vertebral prolongation1 and five on the 
under2 in the caudal fin of the         

,diplopterus so divided1 rather more    
than two parts will be found to occur on
 the upper side1 and rather less than   
four on the under2 while in the caudal  
fin of the ,dipterus the development    
seems to have been restricted to the    
under side exclusively2 at least1 in    
none of the many individuals which ,i   
have examined have ,i found any trace of
 caudal rays on the upper side4 ,these  
are minute and somewhat trivial         
particulars2 but the geologist may find 
them of use2 and the non-geologist may  
be disposed to extend to them some      
little degree of tolerance1 when he     
considers that they distinguished two   
largely developed genera of animals1 to 
which the ,author of all did not deem it
 unworthy his wisdom to impart1 in the  
act of creation1 certain marked points  
of resemblance1 and other certain points
 of dissimilarity4  ,from the ,museum1  
accompanied by one of the gentlemen to  
whom ,mr4 ,learmonth had introduced me  
at breakfast1 and who obligingly        

undertook to act as my guide on the     
occasion1 ,i set out to visit a         
remarkable stack on the sea-coast1 about
 four miles north and west of           
,stromness4 ,we scaled together the     
steep granitic hill immediately over the
 town1 and then cut on the stack1       
straight as the bird flies1 across a    
trackless common1 bare and stony1 and   
miserably pared by the flaughter spade4 
,the landed proprietors in this part of 
the mainland are very numerous1 and     
their properties small2 and there are   
vast breadths of undivided common that  
encircle their little estates1 as the   
,atlantic encircles the ,orkneys4 ,but  
the state in which ,i found the         
unappropriated parts of the district had
 in no degree the effect of making me an
 opponent of appropriation or the       
landholders4 ,our country1 had it been  
left as a whole to all its people1 as   
the ,communist desiderates1 would ere   
now be of exceedingly little value to   
any portion of them4 ,the soil of the   

,orkney commons has been so repeatedly  
pared off and carried away for fuel1    
that there are now wide tracts on which 
there is no more soil to pare1 and which
 present1 for the original covering of  
peaty mould1 a continuous surface of    
pale boulder-clay1 here and there       
mottled by detached tufts of scraggy    
heath1 and here and there roughened by  
projections of the underlying rock4 ,all
 is unredeemable barrenness4 ,on the    
other hand1 wherever a bit of private   
property appears1 though in the         
immediate neighborhood of these ruined  
wastes1 the surface is swarded over1 and
 the soil is the better1 not the worse1 
for the services which it has rendered  
to man in the past4 ,whatever the       
,chartist and the ,leveller may think of
 the matter1 it is1 ,i find1 virtually  
on behalf of the many that the soil has 
been appropriated by the few4 ,after    
passing from off the tract of moor which
 overlies the granitic axis of the      
district1 to a tract equally moory which

 spreads over the gray flagstones1 ,i   
marked1 more especially in the hollows  
and ravines1 where minute springs ooze  
from the rock1 vast quantities of       
bog-iron embedded in the soil1 and      
presenting greatly the appearance of the
 scoria of a smith's forge4 ,the        
apparent scoria here is simply a        
reproduction of the iron of the         
underlying flagstones1 transferred1     
through the agency of water1 to that    
stratum of vegetable mould and          
boulder-clay which represents the recent
 period4  ,i found the stack which ,i   
had been brought to see forming the     
picturesque centre of a bold tract of   
rock scenery4 ,it stands out from the   
land as a tall insulated tower1 about   
two hundred feet in height1 sorely worn 
at its base by the breakers that        
ceaselessly fret against its sides1 but 
considerably broader atop1 where it     
bears a flat cover of sward on the same 
level with the tops of the precipices   
which in the lapse of ages have receded 

from around it4 ,like the sward-crested 
hammock left by a party of laborers1 to 
mark the depth to which they have cut in
 removing a bank or digging a pond1 it  
remains to indicate how the attrition of
 the surf has told upon the iron-bound  
coast2 demonstrating that lines of      
precipices hard as iron1 and of giddy   
elevation1 are in full retreat before   
the dogged perseverance of an assailant 
that1 though baffled in each single     
attack1 ever returns to the charge1 and 
gains by an aggregation of              
infinitesimals1--the result of the      
whole4 ,from the edge of a steep        
promontory that commands an inflection  
of the coast1 and of the wall of rock   
which sweeps round it1 ,i watched for a 
few seconds the sea1--greatly heightened
 at the time by the setting in of the   
flood-tide1--as it broke1 surge after   
surge1 against the base of the tall dark
 precipices2 and marked how it          
accomplished its work of disintegration4
 ,the flagstone deposit here abounds in 

vertical cracks and flaws2 and in the   
line of each of the many fissures which 
these form the waves have opened up a   
cave2 so that for hundreds of yards     
together the precipices seem as if      
founded on arch-divided piers1 and      
remind one of those ancient prints or   
drawings of ,old ,london ,bridge in     
which a range of tall sombre buildings  
is represented as rising high over a    
line of arches2 or of rows of lofty     
houses in those cities of southern      
,europe in which the dwellings fronting 
the streets are perforated beneath by   
lines of squat piazzas1 and present     
above a dingy and windowless breadth of 
wall4 ,in course of time the piers      
attenuate and give way2 the undermined  
precipices topple down1 parting from the
 solid mass behind in those vertical    
lines by which they are traversed at    
nearly right angles with their line of  
stratification2 the perpendicular front 
which they had covered comes to be      
presented1 in consequence1 to the sea2  

its faults and cracks gradually widen   
into caves1 as those of the fallen front
 had gradually widened at an earlier    
period2 in the lapse of centuries1 it   
too1 resigning its place1 topples over  
headlong1 an undermined mass2 the surge 
dashes white and furious where the dense
 rock had rested before2 and thus1 in   
its slow but irresistible march1 the sea
 gains upon the land4 ,in the peculiar  
disposition and character of the        
prevailing strata of ,orkney1 as        
certainly as in the power of the tides  
which sweep athwart its coasts1 and the 
wide extent of sea which1 stretching    
around it1 gives the waves scope to     
gather bulk and momentum1 may be found  
the secret of the extraordinary height  
to which the surf sometimes rises       
against its walls of rock4 ,during the  
fiercer tempests1 masses of foam shoot  
upwards against the precipices1 like    
inverted cataracts1 fully two hundred   
feet over the ordinary tide-level1 and1 
washing away the looser soil from their 

summits1 leaves in its place patches of 
slaty gravel1 resembling that of a      
common sea-beach4 ,rocks less           
perpendicular1 however great the        
violence of the wind and sea1 would fail
 to project upwards bodies of surf to a 
height so extraordinary4 ,but the low   
angle at which the strata lie1 and the  
rectangularity maintained in relation to
 their line of bed by the fissures which
 traverse them1 give to the ,orkney     
precipices1--remarkable for their       
perpendicularity and their mural        
aspect1--exactly the angle against which
 the waves1 as broken masses of foam1   
beat up to their greatest possible      
altitude4 ,on a tract of iron-bound     
coast that skirts the entrance of the   
,cromarty ,frith ,i have seen the surf  
rise1 during violent gales from the     
north-west especially1 against one      
rectangular rock1 known as the ,white   
,rock1 fully an hundred feet2 while     
against scarcely any of the other       
precipices1 more sloping1 though equally

 exposed1 did it rise more than half    
that height4     ,,chapter ,,xiii4      
,detached ,fossils--,remains of the     
,pterichthys--,terminal ,bones of the   
,coccosteus1 etc41 preserved--,internal 
,skeleton of ,coccosteus--,the          
shipwrecked ,sailor in the              
,cave--,bishop ,grahame--,his           
,character1 as      drawn by            
,baillie--,his ,successor--,ruins of the
 ,bishop's                              
,country-house--,sub-aerial ,formation  
of ,sandstone--,formation near      ,new
 ,kaye--,inference from such            
,formation--,tour resumed--,loch of     
,stennis--,waters of the ,loch fresh1   
brackish1 and salt--,vegetation         
varied accordingly--,change produced in 
the ,flounder by fresh      water--,the 
,standing ,stones1 second only to       
,stonehenge--,their      purpose--,their
 ,appearance and ,situation--,diameter  
of the      ,circle--,what the          
,antiquaries say of it--,reference to it
 in the      ,pirate--,dr4 ,hibbert's   

,account4   ,we returned to ,stromness  
along the edge of the cliffs gradually  
descending from higher to lower ranges  
of prepices1 and ever and anon detecting
 ichthyolite beds in the weathered and  
partially decomposed strata4 ,as the    
rock moulders into an incoherent clay1  
the fossils which it envelops become not
 unfrequently wholly detached from it1  
so that1 on a smart blow dealt by the   
hammer1 they leap out entire1           
resembling1 from the degree of          
compression which they exhibit1 those   
mimic fishes carved out of plates of    
ivory or of mother-of-pearl1 which are  
used as counters in some of the games of
 ,china or the ,east ,indies4 ,the      
material of which they are composed1 a  
brittle jet1 though better suited than  
the stone to resist the disintegrating  
influences1 is in most cases greatly too
 fragile for preservation4 ,one may1    
however1 acquire from the fragments a   
knowledge of certain minute points in   
the structure of the ancient animals to 

which they belonged1 respecting which   
specimens of a more robust texture give 
no evidence4 ,the plates of ,coccosteus 
sometimes spring out as unbroken as when
 they covered the living animal1 and1 if
 the necessary skill be not wanting1 may
 be set up in their original order4 ,and
 ,i possess specimens of the head of    
,dipterus in which the nearly circular  
gill-covers may be examined on both     
surfaces1 interior and exterior1 and in 
which the cranial portion shows not only
 the enamelled plates of the frontal    
buckler1 but also the strange mechanism 
of the palatal teeth1 with the          
intervening cavities that had lodged    
both the brain and the occipital part of
 the spine4 ,the fossils on the top of  
the cliffs here are chiefly ,dipterians 
of the two closely allied genera1       
,diplopterus and ,osteolepis4  ,a little
 farther on1 ,i found1 on a hill-side in
 which extensive slate-quarries had once
 been wrought1 the remains of           
,pterichthys existing as mere patches1  

from which the color had been           
discharged1 but in which the almost     
human-like outline of both body and arms
 were still distinctly traceable2 and   
farther on still1 where the steep wall  
of cliffs sinks into a line of grassy   
banks1 ,i saw in yet another quarry1    
ichthyolites of all the three great     
ganoid families so characteristic of the
 ,old ,red1--,cephalaspians1            
,dipterians1 and ,acanthodians1--ranged 
in the three-storied order to which ,i  
have already referred as so             
inexplicable4 ,the specimens1 however1  
though numerous1 are not fine4 ,they are
 resolved into a brittle bituminous     
coal1 resembling hard pitch or black    
wax1 which is always considerably less  
tenacious than the matrix in which they 
are inclosed2 and so1 when laid open by 
the hammer1 they usually split through  
the middle of the plates and scales1    
instead of parting from the stone at    
their surfaces1 and resemble1 in        
consequence1 those dark1 shadow-like    

profiles taken in ,indian ink by the    
limner1 which exhibit a correct outline1
 but no details4 ,we find1 however1 in  
some of the genera1 portions of the     
animal preserved that are rarely seen in
 a state of keeping equally perfect in  
the ichthyolites of ,cromarty1 ,moray1  
or ,banff1--those terminal bones of the 
,coccosteos1 for instance1 that were    
prolonged beyond the plates by which the
 head and upper parts of the body were  
covered4 ,wherever the ichthyolites are 
inclosed in nodules1 as in the more     
southerly counties over which the       
deposit extends1 the nodule terminates1 
in almost every case1 with the massier  
portions of the organism2 for the       
thinner parts1 too inconsiderable to    
have served as attractive nuclei to the 
stony matter when the concretion was    
forming1 were left outside its pale1 and
 so have been lost2 whereas1 in the     
northern districts of the deposit1 where
 the fossils1 as in ,caithness and      
,orkney1 occur in flagstone1 these      

slimmer parts1 when the general state of
 keeping is tolerably good1 lie spread  
out on the planes of the slabs1 entire  
often in their minutest rays and        
articulations4 ,the numerous ,coccostei 
of this quarry exhibit1 attached to     
their upper plates1 their long vertebral
 columns1 of many joints1 that1         
depending from the broad dorsal shields 
of the ichthyolite1 remind one of those 
skeleton fishes one sometimes sees on   
the shores of a fishing village1 in     
which the bared backbone joints on1     
cord-like1 to the broad plates of the   
skull4 ,none of the other fishes of the 
,old ,red ,sandstone possessed an       
internal skeleton so decidedly osseous  
as that of the ,coccosteus1 and none of 
them presented externally so large an   
extent of naked skin1--provisions which 
probably went together4 ,for about      
three-fifths of the entire length of the
 animal the surface was unprotected by  
dermal plates2 and the muscles must have
 found the fulcrums on which they acted 

in the internal skeleton exclusively4   
,and hence a necessity for greater      
strength in their interior framework    
than in that of fishes as strongly      
fenced round externally by scales or    
plates as the coleoptera by their       
elytrine1 or the crustacea by their     
shells4 ,even in the ,coccosteus1       
however1 the ossification was by no     
means complete2 and the analogies of the
 skeleton seem to have allied it rather 
with the skeletons of the sturgeon      
family than with the skeletons of the   
sharks or rays4 ,the processes of the   
vertebrae were greatly more solid in    
their substance than the vertebrae      
themselves1--a condition which in the   
sharks and rays is always reversed2 and 
they frequently survive1 each with its  
little sprig of bone1 formed like the   
letter ,y1 that attached it to its      
centrum1 projecting from it1 in         
specimens from which the vertebral      
column itself has wholly disappeared4 ,i
 found frequent traces1 during my       

exploratory labors in ,orkney1 of the   
dorsal and ventral fins of this         
ichthyolite2 but no trace whatever of   
the pectorals or of the caudal fin4     
,there seem to have been no pectorals2  
and the tail1 as ,i have always had     
occasion to remark1 was apparently a    
mere point1 unfurnished with rays4  ,in 
descending from the cliffs upon the     
quarries1 my companion pointed to an    
angular notch in the rock-edge1         
apparently the upper termination of one 
of the numerous vertical cracks by which
 the precipices are traversed1 and which
 in so many cases on the ,orkney coast  
have been hollowed by the waves into    
long open coves or deep caverns4 ,it was
 up there1 he said1 that about twelve   
years ago the sole survivor of a ship's 
crew contrived to scramble1 four days   
after his vessel had been dashed to     
fragments against the rocks below1 and  
when it was judged that all on board had
 perished4 ,the vessel was wrecked on a 
,wednesday4 ,she had been marked1 when  

in the offing1 standing for the bay of  
,stromness2 but the storm was violent1  
and the shore a lee one2 and as it was  
seen from the beach that she could      
scarce weather the headland yonder1 a   
number of people gathered along the     
cliffs1 furnished with ropes1 to render 
to the crew whatever assistance might be
 possible in the circumstances4 ,human  
help1 however1 was to avail them        
nothing4 ,their vessel1 a fine schooner1
 when within forty yards of the         
promontory1 was seized broadside by an  
enormous wave1 and dashed against the   
cliff1 as one might dash a glass-phial  
against a stone-wall4 ,one blow         
completed the work of destruction2 she  
went rolling in entire from keel to     
mast-head1 and returned1 on the recoil  
of the broken surge1 a mass of shapeless
 fragments1 that continued to dance idly
 amid the foam1 or were scattered along 
the beach4 ,but of the poor men1 whom   
the spectators had seen but a few       
seconds before running wildly about the 

deck1 there remained not a trace2 and   
the saddened spectators returned to     
their homes to say that all had         
perished4 ,four days after1--on the     
morning of the following ,sabbath1--the 
sole survivor of the crew1 saved1 as if 
by miracle1 climbed up the precipice1   
and presented himself to a group of     
astonished and terrified country people1
 who could scarce regard him as a       
creature of this world4 ,the fissure1   
which at the top of the cliff forms but 
a mere angular inflection1 is hollowed  
below into a low-roofed cave of profound
 depth1 into the farther extremity of   
which the tide hardly ever penetrates4  
,it is floored by a narrow strip of     
shingly beach2 and on this bit of beach1
 far within the cave1 the sailor found  
himself1 half a minute after the vessel 
had struck and gone to pieces1 washed   
in1 he knew not how4 ,two pillows and a 
few dozen red herrings1 which had been  
swept in along with him1 served him for 
bed and board2 a tin cover enabled him  

to catch enough of the fresh-water      
droppings of the roof to quench his     
thirst2 several large fragments of wreck
 that had been jammed fast athwart the  
opening of the cave broke the violence  
of the wind and sea2 and in that doleful
 prison1 day after day1 he saw the tides
 sink and rise1 and lay1 when the surf  
rolled high at the fall of the tide1 in 
utter darkness even at mid-day1 as the  
waves outside rose to the roof1 and     
inclosed him in a chamber as entirely   
cut off from the external atmosphere as 
that of a diving bell4 ,he was oppressed
 in the darkness1 every time the waves  
came rolling in and compressed his      
modicum of air1 by a sensation of       
extreme heat1--an effect of the         
condensation2 and then1 in the interval 
of recession1 and consequent expansion1 
by a sudden chill4 ,at low ebb he had to
 work hard in clearing away the         
accumulations of stone and gravel which 
had been rolled in by the previous tide1
 and threatened to bury him up          

altogether4 ,at length he succeeded1    
after many a fruitless attempt1 in      
gaining an upper ledge that overhung his
 prison-mouth2 and1 by a path on which a
 goat would scarce have found footing1  
he scrambled to the top4 ,his name was  
,johnstone2 and the cave is still known 
as ,johnstone's ,cave4 ,such was the    
narrative of my companion4  ,a little   
farther on1 the undulating bank1 into   
which the cliffs sink1 projects into the
 sea as a flat green promontory1 edged  
with hills of indurated sand1 and topped
 by a picturesque ruin1 that forms a    
pleasing object in the landscape4 ,the  
ruin is that of a country residence of  
the bishops of ,orkney during the       
disturbed and unhappy reign of ,scotch  
,episcopacy1 and bears on a flat tablet 
of weathered sandstone the initials of  
its founder1 ,bishop ,george ,grahame1  
and the date of its erection1 #afcc4    
,with a green cultivated oasis          
immediately around it1 and a fine open  
sound1 overlooked by the bold1          

picturesque cliffs of ,hoy1 in front1 it
 must have been1 for at least half the  
year1 an agreeable1 and1 as its remains 
testify1 a not uncomfortable habitation4
 ,but ,i greatly fear ,scottish         
clergymen of the ,establishment1 whether
 ,presbyterian or ,episcopalian1 when   
obnoxious1 from their position or their 
tenets1 to the great bulk of the        
,scottish people1 have not been left1   
since at least the ,reformation1 to     
enjoy either quiet or happy lives1      
however extrinsically favorable the     
circumstances in which they may have    
been placed4 ,bishop ,grahame1 only five
 years after the date of the erection1  
was tried before the famous ,general    
,assembly of #afch2 and1 being convicted
 of having all the ordinar faults of a  
bishop1 he was deposed1 and ordered     
within a limited time to give tokens of 
repentance1 under paine of              
excommunication4 ,he was a curler on the
 ice on the ,sabbath day1 says          
,baillie1--a setter of tacks to his     

sones and grandsones1 to the prejudice  
of the ,church2 he oversaw adulterie2   
slighted charming2 neglected preaching  
and doing of anie good2 and held        
portions of ministers' stipends for     
building his cathedral4 ,the concluding 
portion of his life1 after his          
deposition1 was spent in obscurity2 nor 
did his successor in the bishoprick1    
subsequent to the reestablishment of    
,episcopacy at the                      
,restoration1--,bishop ,honeyman1--close
 his days more happily4 ,he was struck  
in the arm by the bullet which the      
zealot ,mitchell had intended for       
,archbishop ,sharp2 and the shattered   
bone never healed2 for1 though he lived 
some years after1 says ,burnet1 they    
were forced to lay open the wound every 
year1 for an exfoliation2 and his life  
was eventually shortened by his         
sufferings4 ,all seemed comfortable     
enough1 and quite quiet enough1 in the  
bishop's country-house to-day4 ,there   
were two cows quietly chewing the cud in

 what apparently had been the           
dignitary's sitting-room1 and patiently 
awaiting the services of a young woman  
who was approaching at some little      
distance with a pail4 ,a large gray cat1
 that had been sunning herself in a     
sheltered corner of the court-yard1     
started up at our approach1 and         
disappeared through a slit hole4 ,the   
sun1 now gone far down the sky1 shone   
brightly on shattered gable-tops1 and   
roofless1 rough-edged walls1 revealing  
many a flaw and chasm in the yielding   
masonry2 and their shadows fell with    
picturesque effect on the loose litter1 
rude implements1 and gapped dry-stone   
fence1 of the neglected farm-yard which 
surrounds the building4  ,i have said   
that the flat promontory occupied by the
 ruin is edged by hills of indurated    
sand4 ,existing in some places as a     
continuous bed of a soft gritty         
sandstone1 scooped wave-like a-top1 and 
varying from five to eight feet in      
thickness1 they form a curious example  

of a sub-aerial formation1--the sand of 
which they are composed having been all 
blown from the sea-beach1 and           
consolidated by the action of moisture  
on a calcareous mixture of comminuted   
shells1 which forms from twenty to      
twenty-five per cent4 of their entire   
mass4 ,i found that the sections of the 
bed laid open by the encroachments of   
the sea1 were scarce less regularly     
stratified than those of a subaqueous   
deposit1 and that it was hollowed1 where
 most exposed to the weather1 into a    
number of spherical cells1 which gave to
 those parts of the surface where they  
lay thickest1 somewhat the aspect of a  
rude ,runic fret-work1--an appearance   
not uncommon in weathered sandstones4   
,with more time to spare1 ,i could fain 
have studied the deposit more carefully1
 in the hope of detecting a few         
peculiarities of structure sufficient to
 distinguish sub-aerially-formed from   
subaqueously-deposited beds of stone4   
,sandstones of sub-aerial formation are 

of no very unfrequent occurrence among  
the recent deposits4 ,on the coast of   
,cornwall there are cliffs of           
considerable height that extend for     
several miles1 and have attained a      
degree of solidity sufficient to serve  
the commoner purposes of the architect1 
which at one time existed as            
accumulations of blown sand4 ,it is     
around the promontory of ,new ,kaye1    
says ,dr4 ,paris1 in an interesting     
memoir on the subject1 that the most    
extensive formation of sandstone takes  
place4 ,here it may be seen in different
 stages of induration1 from a state in  
which it is too friable to be detached  
from the rock upon which it reposes1 to 
a hardness so considerable1 that it     
requires a violent blow from a          
sledge-hammer to break it4 ,buildings   
are here constructed of it2 the church  
of ,cranstock is entirely built with it2
 and it is also employed for various    
articles of domestic and agricultural   
uses4 ,the geologist who has previously 

examined the celebrated specimen from   
,guadaloupe will be struck with the     
great analogy which it bears to this    
formation4 ,now1 as vast tracts of the  
earth's surface1--in some parts of the  
world1 as in ,northern ,africa1 millions
 of square miles together1--are at      
present overlaid by accumulations of    
sand1 which have this tendency to       
consolidate and become lasting          
sub-aerial formations1 destined to      
occupy a place among the future strata  
of the globe1 it seems impossible but   
that also in the old geologic periods   
there must have been1 as now1           
sand-wastes and sub-aerial formations4  
,and as the representatives of these may
 still exist in some of our sandstone   
quarries1 it might be well to be        
possessed of a knowledge of the         
peculiarities by which they are to be   
distinguished from deposits of          
subaqueous origin4 ,in order that ,i    
might have an opportunity of studying   
these peculiarities where they are to be

 seen more extensively developed than   
elsewhere on the eastern coast of       
,scotland1 ,i here formed the intention 
of spending a day1 on my return south1  
among the sand-wastes of ,moray1--a     
purpose which ,i afterwards carried into
 effect4 ,but of that more anon4  ,on   
the following morning1 availing myself  
of a kind invitation1 through ,dr4      
,garson1 from his brother1 a ,free      
,church minister resident in an inland  
district of the ,mainland1 in convenient
 neighborhood with the northern coasts  
of the island1 and with several         
quarries1 ,i set out from ,stromness1   
taking in my way the ,loch and ,standing
 ,stones of ,stennis1 which ,i had      
previously seen from but my seat in the 
mail-gig as ,i passed4 ,mr4 ,learmonth1 
who had to visit some of his people in  
this direction1 accompanied me for      
several miles along the shores of the   
loch1 and lightened the journey by his  
interesting snatches of local history1  
suggested by the various objects that   

lay along our road1--buildings1 tumuli1 
ancient battle-fields1 and standing     
stones4 ,the loch itself1 an expansive  
sheet of water fourteen miles in        
circumference1 ,i contemplated with much
 interest1 and longed for an opportunity
 of studying its natural history4 ,two  
promontories1--those occupied by the    
,standing ,stones1 shoot out from the   
opposite sides1 and approach so near as 
to be connected by a rustic bridge4     
,they divide the loch into two nearly   
equal parts1 the lower of which gives   
access to the sea1 and is salt in its   
nether reaches and brackish in its upper
 ones1 while the higher is merely       
brackish in its nether reaches1 and     
fresh enough in its upper ones to be    
potable4 ,the shores of both were       
strewed1 at the time ,i passed1 by a    
line of wrack1 consisting1 for the first
 few miles1 from where the lower loch   
opens to the sea1 of only marine plants1
 then of marine plants mixed with those 
of fresh-water growth1 and then1 in the 

upper sheet of water1 of lacustrine     
plants exclusively4 ,and the fauna of   
the loch1 like its flora1 is1 ,i was led
 to understand1 of the same mixed       
character2 the marine and fresh-water   
animals having each their own reaches1  
with certain debatable tracts between1  
in which each expatiates with more or   
less freedom1 according to its nature   
and constitution1--some of the          
sea-fishes advancing far on the fresh   
water1 and others1 among the proper     
denizens of the lake1 encroaching far on
 the salt4 ,the common fresh-water eel  
strikes out1 ,i was told1 farthest into 
the sea-water2 in which1 indeed1        
reversing the habits of the salmon1 it  
is known in various places to deposit   
its spawn2 it seeks1 too1 impatient of a
 low temperature1 to escape from the    
cold of winter1 by taking refuge in     
water brackish enough in a climate such 
as ours to resist the influence of      
frost4 ,of the marine fishes2 on the    
other hand1 ,i found that the flounder  

got greatly higher than any of the      
others1 inhabiting reaches of the lake  
almost entirely fresh4 ,a memoir on the 
,loch of ,stennis and its productions1  
animal and vegetable1 such as a ,gilbert
 ,white of ,selborne could produce1     
would be at once a very valuable and    
very curious document4 ,by dividing it  
into reaches1 in which the average      
saltness of the water was carefully     
ascertained1 and its productions noted1 
with the various modifications which    
these underwent as they receded upwards 
or downwards from their proper habitat  
towards the line at which they could no 
longer exist1 much information might be 
acquired1 of a kind important to the    
naturalist1 and not without its use to  
the geological student4 ,i have had an  
opportunity elsewhere of observing a    
curious change which fresh-water induces
 on the flounder4 ,in the brackish water
 of an estuary it becomes1 without      
diminishing in general size1 thicker and
 more fleshy than when in its legitimate

 habitat the sea2 but the flesh loses in
 quality what it gains in quantity2--it 
is flabby and insipid1 and the          
margin-fin lacks always its delicious   
strip of transparent fat4 ,i fain wish  
that some intelligent resident on the   
shores of ,stennis would set himself    
carefully to examine its productions1   
and that then1 after registering his    
observations for a few years1 he would  
favor the world with its natural        
history4  ,the ,standing                
,stones1--second in ,britain of their   
kind1 to only those of                  
,stonehenge1--occur in two groups2 the  
smaller group 7composed1 however1 of the
 taller stones7 on the southern         
promontory2 the larger on the northern  
one4 ,rude and shapeless1 and bearing no
 other impress of the designing faculty 
than that they are stuck endwise in the 
earth1 and form1 as a whole1 regular    
figures on the sward1 there is yet a    
sublime solemnity about them1           
unsurpassed in effect by any ruin ,i    

have yet seen1 however grand in its     
design or imposing in its proportions4  
,their very rudeness1 associated with   
their ponderous bulk and weight1 adds to
 their impressiveness4 ,when there is   
art and taste enough in a country to hew
 an ornate column1 no one marvels that  
there should also be mechanical skill   
enough in it to set it up on end2 but   
the men who tore from the quarry these  
vast slabs1 some of them eighteen feet  
in height over the soil1 and raised them
 where they now stand1 must have been   
ignorant savages1 unacquainted with     
machinery1 and unfurnished1 apparently1 
with a single tool4 ,and what1 when     
contemplating their handiwork1 we have  
to subtract in idea from their minds1 we
 add1 by an involuntary process1 to     
their bodies3 we come to regard the     
feats which they have accomplished as   
performed by a power not mechanical1 but
 gigantic4 ,the consideration1 too1 that
 these remains1--eldest of the works of 
man in this country1--should have so    

long survived all definite tradition of 
the purposes which they were raised to  
serve1 so that we now merely know       
regarding them that they were religious 
in their uses1--products of that        
ineradicable instinct of man's nature   
which leads him in so many various ways 
to attempt conciliating the ,powers of  
another world1--serves greatly to       
heighten their effect4 ,history at the  
time of their erection had no existence 
in these islands3 the age1 though it    
sought1 through the medium of strange1  
unknown rites1 to communicate with      
,heaven1 was not knowing enough to      
communicate1 through the medium of      
alphabet or symbol1 with posterity4 ,the
 appearance of the obelisks1 too1       
harmonizes well with their great        
antiquity and the obscurity of their    
origin4 ,for about a man's height from  
the ground they are covered thick by the
 shorter lichens1--chiefly the          
gray-stone parmelia1--here and there    
embroidered by golden-hued patches of   

the yellow parmelia of the wall2 but    
their heads and shoulders1 raised beyond
 the reach alike of the herd-boy and of 
his herd1 are covered by an             
extraordinary profusion of a flowing    
beard-like lichen of unusual            
length1--the lichen calicarus 7or1      
according to modern botanists1 ,ramalina
 scopulorum71 in which they look like an
 assemblage of ancient ,druids1         
mysteriously stern and invincibly silent
 and shaggy as the bard of ,gray1 when  
,loose his beard and hoary hair         
,streamed like a meteor on the troubled 
air4  ,the day was perhaps too sunny and
 clear for seeing the ,standing ,stones 
to the best possible advantage4 ,they   
could not be better placed than on their
 flat promontories1 surrounded by the   
broad plane of an extensive lake1 in a  
waste1 lonely1 treeless country1 that   
presents no bold1 competing features to 
divert attention from them as the great 
central objects of the landscape2 but   
the gray of the morning1 or an          

atmosphere of fog and vapor1 would have 
associated better with the mystic       
obscurity of their history1 their shaggy
 forms1 and their livid tints1 than the 
glare of a cloudless sun1 that brought  
out in hard1 clear relief their rude    
outlines1 and gave to each its sharp    
dark patch of shadow4 ,gray-colored     
objects1 when tall and imposing1 but of 
irregular form1 are seen always to most 
advantage in an uncertain light1--in fog
 or frost-rime1 or under a scowling sky1
 or1 as ,parnell well expresses it1 amid
 the living gleams of night4 ,they      
appeal1 if ,i may so express myself1 to 
the sentiment of the ghostly and the    
spectral1 and demand at least a partial 
envelopment of the obscure4 ,burns1 with
 the true tact of the genuine poet1     
develops the sentiment almost           
instinctively in an exquisite stanza in 
one of his less-known songs1 ,the       
,posey1--   ,the hawthorn ,i will pu'1  
wi' its locks o' siller gray1  ,where1  
like an aged man1 it stands at break o' 

day4  ,scott1 too1 in describing these  
very stones1 chooses the early morning  
as the time in which to exhibit them1   
when they stood in the gray light of the
 dawning1 like the phantom forms of     
antediluvian giants1 who1 shrouded in   
the habiliments of the dead1 come to    
revisit1 by the pale light1 the earth   
which they had plagued with their       
oppression1 and polluted by their sins1 
till they brought down upon it the      
vengeance of long-suffering heaven4 ,on 
another occasion1 he introduces them as 
glimmering1 a grayish white1 in the     
rising sun1 and projecting far to the   
westward their long gigantic shadows4   
,and ,malcolm1 in the exercise of a     
similar faculty with that of ,burns and 
of ,scott1 surrounds them1 in his       
description1 with a somewhat similar    
atmosphere of partial dimness and       
obscurity3--   ,the hoary rocks1 of     
giant size1  ,that o'er the land in     
circles rise1  ,of which tradition may  
not tell1  ,fit circles for the wizard's

 spell1  ,seen far amidst the scowling  
storm1  ,seem each a tall and phantom   
form1  ,as hurrying vapors o'er them    
flee1  ,frowning in grim security1      
,while1 like a dread voice from the     
past1  ,around them moans the autumnal  
blast4  ,there exist curious analogies  
between the earlier stages of society   
and the more immature periods of        
life1--between the savage and the child2
 and the huge circle of ,stennis seems  
suggestive of one of these4 ,it is      
considerably more than four hundred feet
 in diameter1 and the stones which      
compose it1 varying from three to       
fourteen feet in height1 must have been 
originally from thirty-five to forty in 
number1 though only sixteen now remain  
erect4 ,a mound and fosse1 still        
distinctly traceable1 run round the     
whole2 and there are several            
mysterious-looking tumuli outside1 bulky
 enough to remind one of the lesser     
morains of the geologist4 ,but the      
circle1 notwithstanding its imposing    

magnitude1 is but a huge child's house1 
after all1--one of those circles of     
stones which children lay down on their 
village green1 and then1 in the exercise
 of that imaginative faculty which      
distinguishes between the young of the  
human animal and those of every other   
creature1 convert1 by a sort of         
conventionalism1 into a church or       
dwelling-house1 within which they seat  
themselves1 and enact their imitations  
of their seniors1 whether domestic or   
ecclesiastical4 ,the circle of ,stennis 
was a circle1 say the antiquaries1      
devoted to the sun4 ,the group of stones
 on the southern promontory of the lake 
formed but a half-circle1 and it was a  
half-circle dedicated to the moon4 ,to  
the circular sun the great rude children
 of an immature age of the world had    
laid down a circle of stones on the one 
promontory2 to the moon1 in her         
half-orbed state1 they had laid down a  
half-circle on the other2 and in        
propitiating these material deities1 to 

whose standing in the old ,scandinavian 
worship the names of our ,sunday and    
,monday still testify1 they employed in 
their respective inclosures1 in the     
exercise of a wild unregulated fancy1   
uncouth irrational rites1 the           
extremeness of whose folly was in some  
measure concealed by the horrid         
exquisiteness of their cruelty4 ,we are 
still in the nonage of the species1 and 
see human society sowing its wild oats  
in a thousand various ways1 very        
absurdly often1 and often very wickedly2
 but matters seem to have been greatly  
worse when1 in an age still more        
immature1 the grimly-bearded1 six-feet  
children of ,orkney were laying down    
their stone-circles on the green4 ,sir  
,walter1 in the parting scene between   
,cleveland and ,minna ,troil1 which he  
describes as having taken place amid the
 lesser group of stones1 refers to an   
immense slab lying flat and prostrate in
 the middle of the others1 supported by 
short pillars1 of which some relics are 

still visible1 and which is regarded as 
the sacrificial stone of the erection4  
,it is a current belief1 says ,dr4      
,hibbert1 in an elaborate paper in the  
,transactions of the ,scottish          
,antiquaries1 that upon this stone a    
victim of royal birth was immolated4    
,halfdan the ,long-legged1 the son of   
,harold the ,fair-haired1 in punishment 
for the aggressions of ,orkney1 had made
 an unexpected descent upon its coasts1 
and acquired possession of the ,jarldom4
 ,in the autumn succeeding ,halfdan was 
retorted upon1 and1 after an inglorious 
contest1 betook himself to a place of   
concealment1 from which he was the      
following morning unlodged1 and         
instantly doomed to the ,asae4 ,einar1  
the ,jarl of ,orkney1 with his sword    
carved the captive's back into the form 
of an eagle1 the spine being            
longitudinally divided1 and the ribs    
being separated by a transverse cut as  
far as the loins4 ,he then extracted the
 lungs1 and dedicated them to ,odin for 

a perpetuity of victory1 singing a wild 
song1--',i am revenged for the slaughter
 of ,rognvalld3 this have the ,nornae   
decreed4 ,in my fiording the pillar of  
the people has fallen4 ,build up the    
cairn1 ye active youths1 for victory is 
with us4 ,from the stones of the        
sea-shore will ,i pay the ,long-legged a
 hard seat4' ,there is certainly no     
trace to be detected1 in this dark      
story1 of a golden age of the world3 the
 golden age is1 ,i would fain hope1 an  
age yet to come4 ,there at least exists 
no evidence that it is an age gone by4  
,it will be the full-grown manly age of 
the world when the race1 as such1 shall 
have attained to their years of         
discretion4 ,they are at present in     
their froward boyhood1 playing at the   
mischievous games of war1 and diplomacy1
 and stock-gambling1 and site-refusing1 
and it is not quite agreeable for quiet 
honest people to be living amongst them4
 ,but there would be nothing gained by  
going back to that more infantine state 

of society in which the ,jarl ,einar    
carved into a red eagle the back of     
,halfdan the ,long-legged4     ,,chapter
 ,,xiv4       ,on ,horseback--,a pared  
,moor--,small ,landholders--,absorption 
of small      holdings in ,england and  
,scotland--,division of ,land favorable 
to      ,civil and ,religious           
,rights--,favorable to social           
,elevation--,an      inland             
,parish--,the ,landsman and             
,lobster--,wild ,flowers of             
,orkney--,law of ,compensation          
illustrated by the ,tobacco             
,plant--,poverty tends to               
,productiveness--,illustrated in        
,ireland--,profusion of                 
,ichthyolites--,orkney a land of        
,defunct      ,fishes--,sandwick--,a    
,collection of ,coccostean ,flags--,a   
,quarry full      of ,heads of          
,dipteri--,the ,bergil1 or ,striped     
,wrasse--,its ,resemblance      to the  
,dipterus--,poverty of the ,flora of the
 ,lower ,old ,red--,no true             

,coniferous ,wood in the ,orkney        
,flagstones--,departure for ,hoy--,the  
intelligent ,boatman--,story of the     
,orkney ,fisherman4   ,while yet        
lingering amid the ,standing ,stones1 ,i
 was joined by ,mr4 ,garson1 who had    
obligingly ridden a good many miles to  
meet me1 and now insisted that ,i should
 mount and ride in turn1 while he walked
 by my side1 that ,i might be fresh1 he 
said1 for the exploratory ramble of the 
evening4 ,i could have ventured more    
readily on taking the command of a      
vessel than of a horse1 and with fewer  
fears of mutiny2 but mount ,i did2 and  
the horse1 a discreet animal1 finding he
 was to have matters very much his own  
way1 got upon honor with me1 and exerted
 himself to such purpose that we did not
 fall greatly more than a hundred yards 
behind ,mr4 ,garson4 ,we traversed in   
our journey a long dreary moor1 so      
entirely ruined1 like those which ,i had
 seen on the previous day1 by belonging 
to everybody in general1 as to be no    

longer of the slightest use to anybody  
in particular4 ,the soil seems to have  
been naturally poor2 but it must have   
taken a good deal of spoiling to render 
it the sterile1 verdureless waste it is 
now2 for even where it had been poorest1
 ,i found that in the island-like       
appropriated patches by which it is     
studded1 it at least bears1 what it has 
long ceased to bear elsewhere1 a        
continuous covering of green sward4 ,but
 if disposed to quarrel with the commons
 of ,orkney1 ,i found in close          
neighborhood with them that with which  
,i could have no quarrel1--numerous     
small properties farmed by the          
proprietors1 and forming1 in most       
instances1 farms by no means very large4
 ,there are parishes in this part of the
 mainland divided among from sixty to   
eighty landowners4  ,a nearly similar   
state of things seems to have obtained  
in ,scotland about the beginning of the 
eighteenth century1 and for the greater 
part of the previous one4 ,i am         

acquainted with old churchyards in the  
north of ,scotland that contain the     
burying-grounds of from six to ten      
landed proprietors1 whose lands are now 
merged into single properties4 ,and1 in 
reading the biographies of our old      
covenanting ministers1 ,i have often    
remarked as curious1 and as bearing in  
the same line1 that no inconsiderable   
proportion of their number were able to 
retire1 in times of persecution1 to     
their own little estates4 ,it was during
 the disastrous wars of the ,french     
,revolution1--wars from the effects of  
which ,great ,britain will1 ,i fear1    
never fully recover1--that the smaller  
holdings were finally absorbed4 ,about  
twenty years ere the war began1 the     
lands of ,england were parcelled out    
among no fewer than two hundred and     
fifty thousand families2 before the     
peace of #ahae1 they had fallen into the
 hands of thirty-two thousand4 ,in less 
than half a century1 that base of actual
 proprietorship on which the landed     

interest of any country must ever find  
its surest standing1 had contracted in  
,england to less than one-seventh its   
former extent4 ,in ,scotland the        
absorption of the great bulk of the     
lesser properties seems to have taken   
place somewhat earlier2 but in it also  
the revolutionary war appears to have   
given them the final blow2 and the more 
extensive proprietors of the kingdom are
 assuredly all the less secure in       
consequence of their extinction4 ,they  
were the smaller stones in the wall1    
that gave firmness in the setting to the
 larger1 and jammed them fast within    
those safe limits determined by the line
 and plummet1 which it is ever perilous 
to overhang4 ,very extensive territorial
 properties1 wherever they exist1 create
 almost necessarily--human nature being 
what it is--a species of despotism more 
oppressive than even that of great      
unrepresentative governments4 ,it used  
to be remarked on the ,continent1 that  
there was always less liberty in petty  

principalities1 where the eye of the    
ruler was ever on his subjects1 than    
under the absolute monarchies4#bc ,and  
in a country such as ours1 the          
accumulation of landed property in the  
hands of comparatively a few individuals
 has the effect often of bringing the   
territorial privileges of the great     
landowner into a state of antagonism    
with the civil and religious rights of  
the people1 that cannot be other than   
perilous to the landowner himself4 ,in a
 district divided1 like ,orkney1 among  
many owners1 a whole country-side could 
not be shut up against its people by    
some ungenerous or intolerant           
proprietor1--greatly at his own risk and
 to his own hurt1--as in the case of    
,glen ,tilt or the ,grampians2 nor1 when
 met for purposes of public worship1    
could the population of a parish be     
chased from off its bare moors1 at his  
instance1 by the constable or the       
sheriff-officer1 to worship ,god        
agreeably to their consciences amid the 

mire of a cross-road1 or on the bare    
sea-beach uncovered by the ebb of the   
tide4 ,the smaller properties of the    
country1 too1 served admirably as       
stepping-stones1 by which the           
proprietors or their children1 when     
possessed of energy and intellect1 could
 mount to a higher walk of society4     
,here beside me1 for instance1 was my   
friend ,mr4 ,garson1 a useful and       
much-esteemed minister of religion in   
his native district2 while his brother1 
a medical man of superior parts1 was    
fast rising into extensive practice in  
the neighboring town4 ,they had been    
prepared for their respective           
professions by a classical education2   
and yet the stepping-stone to positions 
in society at once so important and so  
respectable was simply one of the       
smaller holdings of ,orkney1 derived to 
them as the descendants of one of the   
old ,scandinavian ,udallers1 and which  
fell short1 ,i was informed1 of a       
hundred a-year4  ,mr4 ,garson's         

dwelling1 to which ,i was welcomed with 
much hospitality by his mother and      
sisters1 occupies the middle of an      
inclined hollow or basin1 so entirely   
surrounded by low1 moory hills1 that at 
no point1--though the radius of the     
prospect averages from four to six      
miles1--does it command a view of the   
sea4 ,i scarce expected being introduced
 in ,orkney to a scene in which the     
traveller could so thoroughly forget    
that he was on an island4 ,of the parish
 of ,harray1 which borders on ,mr4      
,garson's property1 no part touches the 
sea-coast2 and the people of the parish 
are represented by their neighbors1 who 
pride themselves upon their skill as    
sailors and boatmen1 as a race of       
lubberly landsmen1 unacquainted with    
nautical matters1 and ignorant of the   
ocean and its productions4 ,a ,harray   
man is represented1 in one of their     
stories1 as entering into a compact of  
mutual forbearance with a lobster1--to  
him a monster of unknown powers and     

formidable proportions1--which he had at
 first attempted to capture1 but which  
had shown fight1 and had nearly captured
 him in turn4 ,weel1 weel1 let a-be for 
let a-be1 he is made to say2 if thou    
does na clutch me in thy grips1 ,i'se no
 clutch thee in mine4 ,it is to this    
primitive parish that ,david ,vedder1   
the sailor-poet of ,orkney1 refers1 in  
his ,orcadian ,sketches1 as celebrated  
over the whole archipelago for the      
peculiarities of its inhabitants1 their 
singular manners and habits1 their      
uncouth appearance1 and homely address4 
,being the most landward district in    
,pomona1 he adds1 and consequently      
having little intercourse with          
strangers1 it has become the stronghold 
of many ancient customs and             
superstitions1 which modern innovation  
has pushed off from their pedestals in  
almost all the other parts of the       
island4 ,the permanency of its          
population1 too1 is mightily in favor of
 'old use and wont1' as it is almost    

entirely divided amongst a class of men 
yelept pickie1 or petty lairds1 each    
ploughing his own fields and reaping his
 own crops1 much in the manner their    
great-great-grandfathers did in the days
 of ,earl ,patrick4 ,and such is the    
respect which they entertain for their  
hereditary beliefs1 that many of them   
are said still to cast a lingering look1
 not unmixed with reverence1 on certain 
spots held sacred by their ,scandinavian
 ancestors4  ,after an early dinner ,i  
set out for the barony of ,birsay1 in   
the northern extremity of the mainland1 
accompanied by ,mr4 ,garson1 and passed 
for several miles over a somewhat dreary
 country1 bare1 sterile1 and brown1     
studded by cold1 broad1 treeless lakes1 
and thinly mottled by groups of gray1   
diminutive cottages1 that do not look as
 if there was much of either plenty or  
comfort inside4 ,but after surmounting  
the hills that form the northern side of
 the interior basin1 ,i was sensible of 
a sudden improvement on the face of the 

country4 ,where the land slopes towards 
the sea1 the shaggy heath gives place to
 a green luxuriant herbage2 and the     
frequent patches of corn seem to rejoice
 in a more genial soil4 ,the lower      
slopes of ,orkney are singularly rich in
 wild flowers1--richer by many degrees  
than the fat loamy meadows of ,england4 
,they resemble gaudy pieces of          
carpeting1 as abundant in petals as in  
leaves3 their luxuriant blow of red and 
white1 blue and yellow1 seems as if     
competing1 in the extent of surface     
which it occupies1 with their general   
ground of green4 ,i have remarked a     
somewhat similar luxuriance of wild     
flowers in the more sheltered hollows of
 the bleak north-western coasts of      
,scotland4 ,there is little that is rare
 to be found among these last1 save that
 a few ,alpine plants may be here and   
there recognized as occurring at a lower
 level than elsewhere in ,britain2 but  
the vast profusion of blossoms borne by 
species common to the greater part of   

the kingdom imparts to them an          
apparently novel character4 ,we may     
detect1 ,i am inclined to think1 in this
 singular profusion1 both in ,orkney and
 the bleaker districts of the mainland  
of ,scotland1 the operation of a law not
 less influential in the animal than in 
the vegetable world1 which1 when        
hardship presses upon the life of the   
individual shrub or quadruped1 so as to 
threaten its vitality1 renders it       
fruitful in behalf of its species4 ,i   
have seen the principle strikingly      
exemplified in the common tobacco plant1
 when reared in a northern country in   
the open air4 ,year after year it       
continued to degenerate1 and to exhibit 
a smaller leaf and a shorter stem1 until
 the successors of what in the first    
year of trial had been vigorous plants  
of from three to four feet in height1   
had in the sixth or eighth become mere  
weeds of scarce as many inches4 ,but    
while the more flourishing1 and as yet  
undegenerate plant1 had merely borne    

a-top a few florets1 which produced a   
small quantity of exceedingly minute    
seeds1 the stunted weed1 its descendant1
 was so thickly covered over in its     
season with its pale yellow bells1 as to
 present the appearance of a nosegay2   
and the seeds produced were not only    
bulkier in the mass1 but also           
individually of much greater size4 ,the 
tobacco had grown productive in         
proportion as it had degenerated and    
become poor4 ,in the common scurvy      
grass1 too1 remarkable1 with some other 
plants1 as ,i have already had occasion 
to mention1 for taking its place among  
both the productions of our ,alpine     
heights and of our sea-shores1 it will  
be found that in proportion as its      
habitat proves ungenial1 and its stems  
and leaves become dwarfish and thin1 its
 little white cruciform flowers         
increase1 till1 in localities where it  
barely exists1 as if on the edge of     
extinction1 we find the entire plant    
forming a dense bundle of seed-vessels1 

each charged to the full with seed4 ,and
 in the gay meadows of ,orkney1 crowded 
with a vegetation that approaches its   
northern limit of production1 we detect 
what seems to be the same principle1    
chronically operative2 and hence1 it    
would seem1 their extraordinary gaiety4 
,their richly-blossoming plants are the 
poor productive ,irish of the vegetable 
world2#bd for ,doubleday seems to be    
quite in the right in holding that the  
law extends to not only the inferior    
animals1 but to our own species also4   
,the lean1 ill-fed sow and rabbit rear1 
it has been long known1 a greatly more  
numerous progeny than the same animals  
when well cared for and fat2 and every  
horse and cattle breeder knows1 that to 
over-feed his animals proves a sure mode
 of rendering them sterile4 ,the sheep1 
if tolerably well pastured1 brings forth
 only a single lamb at a birth2 but if  
half-starved and lean1 the chances are  
that it may bring forth two or three4   
,and so it is also with the greatly     

higher human race4 ,place them in       
circumstances of degradation and        
hardship so extreme as almost to        
threaten their existence as individuals1
 and they increase1 as if in behalf of  
the species1 with a rapidity without    
precedent in circumstances of greater   
comfort4 ,the aristocratic families of a
 country are continually running out2   
and it requires frequent creations to   
keep up the ,house of ,lords2 while our 
poor people seem increasing in some     
districts in almost the mathematical    
ratio4 ,the county of ,sutherland is    
already more populous than it was       
previous to the great clearings4 ,in    
,skye1 though fully two-thirds of the   
population emigrated early in the latter
 half of the last century1 a single     
generation had scarce passed ere the gap
 was completely filled2 and miserable   
,ireland1 had the human family no other 
breeding-place or nursery1 would of     
itself be sufficient in a very few ages 
to people the world4  ,we returned1     

taking in our way the cliffs of ,marwick
 ,head1 in which ,i detected a few      
scattered plates and scales1 and which1 
like nine-tenths of the rocks of        
,orkney1 belong to the great flagstone  
division of the formation4 ,i found the 
dry-stone fences on ,mr4 ,garson's      
property still richer in detached fossil
 fragments than the cliffs2 but there   
are few erections in the island that do 
not inclose in their walls portions of  
the organic4 ,we find ichthyolite       
remains in the flagstones laid bare     
along the way-side1--in every heap of   
road-metal1--in the bottom of every     
stream1--in almost every cottage and    
fence4 ,orkney is a land of defunct     
fishes1 and contains in its rocky folds 
more individuals of the waning ganoid   
family than are now to be found in all  
the existing seas1 lakes1 and rivers of 
the world4 ,i enjoyed in a snug upper   
room a delectable night's rest1 after a 
day of prime exercise1 prolonged till it
 just touched on toil1 and again        

experienced1 on looking out in the      
morning on the wide flat basin around1 a
 feeling somewhat akin to wonder1 that  
,orkney should possess a scene at once  
so extensive and so exclusively inland4 
,towards mid-day ,i walked on to the    
parish manse of ,sandwick1 armed with a 
letter of introduction to its inmate1   
the ,rev4 ,charles ,clouston1--a        
gentleman whose descriptions of the     
,orkneys1 in the very complete and      
tastefully written ,guide-,book of the  
,messrs4 ,anderson of ,inverness1 and of
 his own parish in the ,statistical     
,account of ,scotland1 had1 both from   
the high literary ability and the amount
 of scientific acquirement which they   
exhibit1 rendered me desirous to see4 ,i
 was politely received1 though my visit 
must have been1 as ,i afterwards        
ascertained1 at a rather inconvenient   
time4 ,it was now late in the week1 and 
the coming ,sabbath was that of the     
communion in the parish2 but ,mr4       
,clouston obligingly devoted to me at   

least an hour1 and ,i found it a very   
profitable one4 ,he showed me a         
collection of flags1 with which he      
intended constructing a grotto1 and     
which contained numerous specimens of   
,coccosteus1 that he had exposed to the 
weather1 to bring out the fine blue     
efflorescence1--a phosphate of iron     
which forms on the surface of the       
plates4 ,they reminded me1 from their   
peculiar style of coloring1 and the     
grotesqueness of their forms1 of the    
blue figuring on pieces of buff-colored 
china1 and seemed to be chiefly of one  
species1 very abundant in ,orkney1 the  
,coccosteus decipiens4 ,we next walked  
out to see a quarry in the neighborhood 
of the manse1 remarkable for containing 
in immense abundance the heads of       
,dipteri1--many of them in a good state 
of keeping1 with all the multitudinous  
plates to which they owe their          
pseudo-name1 ,polyphractus1 in their    
original places1 and bearing unworn and 
untarnished their minute carvings and   

delicate enamel1 but existing in every  
case as mere detached heads4 ,i found   
three of them lying in one little slaty 
fragment of two and a half inches by    
four1 which ,i brought along with me4   
,mr4 ,clouston had never seen the       
curious arrangement of palatal plates   
and teeth which distinguishes the       
,dipterus2 and1 drawing his attention to
 it in an ill-preserved specimen which  
,i found in the coping of his           
glebe-wall1 ,i restored1 in a rude      
pencil sketch1 the two angular patches  
of teeth that radiate from the elegant  
dart-head in the centre of the palate1  
with the rhomboidal plate behind4 ,we   
have a fish1 not uncommon on the rocky  
coasts of this part of the country1 he  
said1--the ,bergil or ,striped ,wrasse  
7,labras ,balanus71--which bears exactly
 such patches of angular teeth in its   
palate4 ,they adhere strongly together2 
and1 when found in our old ,picts'      
houses1 which occasionally happens1 they
 have been regarded by some of our local

 antiquaries as artificial1--an opinion 
which ,i have had to correct1 though it 
seems not improbable that1 from their   
gem-like appearance1 they may have been 
used in a rude age as ornaments4 ,i     
think ,i can show you one disinterred   
here some years ago4 ,it interested me  
to find1 from ,mr4 ,clouston's specimens
 that the palatal grinders of this      
recent fish of ,orkney very nearly      
resemble those of its ,dipterus of the  
,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,the group is of  
nearly the same size in the modern as in
 the ancient fish1 and presents the same
 angular form2 but the individual teeth 
are more strongly set in the ,bergil    
than in the ,dipterus1 and radiate less 
regularly from the inner rectangular    
point of the angle to its base outside4 
,i could fain have procured an ,orkney  
,bergil1 in order to determine the      
general pattern of its palatal dentition
 with what is very peculiar in the more 
ancient fish1--the form of the lower    
jaw2 and to ascertain farther1 from the 

contents of the stomach1 the species of 
shell-fish or crustaceans on which it   
feeds2 but1 though by no means rare in  
,orkney1 where it is occasionally used  
as food1 ,i was unable1 during my short 
stay1 to possess myself of a specimen4  
,mr4 ,clouston had1 ,i found1 chiefly   
directed his palaeontological inquiries 
on the vegetable remains of the         
flagstones1 as the department of the    
science in which1 in relation to        
,orkney1 most remained to be done2 and  
his collection of these is the most     
considerable in the number of its       
specimens that ,i have yet seen4 ,it1   
however1 serves but to show how very    
extreme is the poverty of the flora of  
the ,lower ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,the   
numerous fishes of the period seem to   
have inhabited a sea little more various
 in its vegetation than in its molluscs4
 ,among the specimens of ,mr4           
,clouston's collection ,i could detect  
but two species of plants1--an          
imperfectly preserved vegetable1 more   

nearly resembling a club-moss than aught
 ,i have seen1 and a smooth-stemmed     
fucoid1 existing as a mere coaly film on
 the stone1 and distinguished chiefly   
from the other by its sharp-edged1      
well-defined outline1 and from the      
circumstance that its stems continue to 
retain the same diameter for a          
considerable distance1 and this1 too1   
after throwing off at acute angles      
numerous branches1 nearly equal in bulk 
to the parent trunk4 ,in a specimen     
about two and a half feet in length1    
which ,i owe to the kindness of ,mr4    
,dick of ,thurso1 there are stems       
continuous throughout1 that1 though they
 ramify into from six to eight branches 
in that space1 are quite as thick atop  
as at bottom4 ,they are the remains1 in 
all probability1 of a long flexible     
fucoid1 like those fucoids of the       
intertropical seas that1 streaming      
slantwise in the tide1 rise not         
unfrequently to the surface in fifteen  
and twenty fathoms water4 ,i saw among  

,mr4 ,clouston's specimens no such      
lignite as the fragment of true         
coniferous wood which ,i had found at   
,cromarty a few years previous1 and     
which1 it would seem1 is still unique   
among the fossils of the ,old ,red      
,sandstone4 ,in the chart of the        
,pacific attached to the better editions
 of ,cook's ,voyages1 there are several 
entries along the track of the great    
navigator that indicate where1 in       
mid-ocean1 trees1 or fragments of trees1
 had been picked up4 ,the entries1      
however1 are but few1 though they belong
 to all the three voyages together3 if  
,i remember aright1 there are only five 
entries in all1--two in the ,northern   
and three in the ,southern ,pacific4    
,the floating tree1 at a great distance 
from land1 is of rare occurrence in even
 the present scene of things1 though the
 breadth of land be great1 and trees    
numerous2 and in the times of the ,old  
,red ,sandstone1 when probably the      
breadth of land was not great1 and trees

 not numerous1 it seems to have been of 
rarer occurrence still4 ,but it is at   
least something to know that in this    
early age of the world trees there were4
  ,i walked on to ,stromness1 and on the
 following morning1 that of ,saturday1  
took boat for ,hoy1--skirting1 on my    
passage out1 the eastern and southern   
shores of the intervening island of     
,graemsay1 and1 on the passage back     
again1 its western and northern shores4 
,the boatman1 an intelligent man1--one  
of the teachers1 as ,i afterwards       
ascertained1 in the ,free ,church       
,sabbath-school1--lightened the way by  
his narratives of storm and wreck1 and  
not a few interesting snatches of       
natural history4 ,there is no member of 
the commoner professions with whom ,i   
better like to meet than with a sensible
 fisherman1 who makes a right use of his
 eyes4 ,the history of fishes is still  
very much what the history of almost all
 animals was little more than half a    
century ago1--a matter of mere external 

description1 heavy often and dry1 and of
 classification founded exclusively on  
anatomical details4 ,we have still a    
very great deal to learn regarding the  
character1 habits and instincts of these
 denizens of the deep1--much1 in short1 
respecting that faculty which is in them
 through which their natures are        
harmonized to the inexorable laws1 and  
they continue to live wisely and        
securely1 in consequence1 within their  
own element1 when man1 with all his     
reasoning ability1 is playing strange   
vagaries in his2--a species of knowledge
 this1 by the way1 which constitutes by 
far the most valuable part1--the mental 
department of natural history2 and the  
notes of the intelligent fisherman1     
gleaned from actual observation1 have   
frequently enabled me to fill portions  
of the wide hiatus in the history of    
fishes which it ought of right to       
occupy4 ,in passing1 as we toiled along 
the ,graemsay coast1 the ruins of a     
solitary cottage1 the boatman furnished 

us with a few details of the history and
 character of its last inmate1 an       
,orkney fisherman1 that would have      
furnished admirable materials for one of
 the darker sketches of ,crabbe4 ,he    
was1 he said1 a resolute1 unsocial man1 
not devoid of a dash of reckless humor1 
and remarkable for an extraordinary     
degree of bodily strength1 which he     
continued to retain unbroken to an age  
considerably advanced1 and which1 as he 
rarely admitted of a companion in his   
voyages1 enabled him to work his little 
skiff alone1 in weather when even better
 equipped vessels had enough ado to keep
 the sea4 ,he had been married in early 
life to a religiously-disposed woman1 a 
member of some dissenting body2 but1    
living with him in the little island of 
,graemsay1 separated by the sea from any
 place of worship1 he rarely permitted  
her to see the inside of a church4 ,at  
one time1 on the occasion of a communion
 ,sabbath in the neighboring parish of  
,stromness1 he seemed to yield to her   

entreaties1 and got ready his yawl1     
apparently with the design of bringing  
her across the ,sound to the town4 ,they
 had1 however1 no sooner quitted the    
shore than he sailed off to a green     
little ,ogygia of a holm in the         
neighborhood1 on which1 reversing the   
old mythologic story of ,calypso and    
,ulysses1 he incarcerated the poor woman
 for the rest of the day till evening4  
,i could see1 from the broad grin with  
which the boatman greeted this part of  
the recital1 that there was1 unluckily1 
almost fun enough in the trick to       
neutralize the sense of its barbarity4  
,the unsocial fisherman lived on1       
dreaded and disliked1 and yet1 when his 
skiff was seen boldly keeping the sea in
 the face of a freshening gale1 when    
every other was making for port1 or     
stretching out from the land as some    
stormy evening was falling1 not a little
 admired also4 ,at length1 on a night of
 fearful tempest1 the skiff was marked  
approaching the coast1 full on an       

iron-bound promontory1 where there could
 be no safe landing4 ,the helm1 from the
 steadiness of her course1 seemed fast  
lashed1 and1 dimly discernible in the   
uncertain light1 the solitary boatman   
could be seen sitting erect at the bows1
 as if looking out for the shore4 ,but  
as his little bark came shooting inwards
 on the long roll of a wave1 it was     
found that there was no speculation in  
his stony glance3 the misanthropic      
fisherman was a cold and rigid corpse4  
,he had died at sea1 as ,english juries 
emphatically express themselves in such 
cases1 under the visitation of ,god4    
,,chapter ,,xv4       ,hoy--,unique     
,scenery--,the ,dwarfie ,stone of       
,hoy--,sir ,walter ,scott's             
,account of it--,its                    
,associations--,inscription of          
,names--,george      ,buchanan's        
,consolation--,the mythic ,carbuncle of 
the ,hill of ,hoy--,no      ,fossils at 
,hoy--,striking ,profile of ,sir ,walter
 ,scott on the ,hill of      ,hoy--,sir 

,walter1 and ,shetland and              
,orkney--,originals of two              
,characters in ,the ,pirate--,bessie    
,millie--,garden of ,gow1 the           
,pirate--,childhood's ,scene of ,byron's
 ,torquil--,the ,author's               
,introduction to his ,sister--,a ,german
 ,visitor--,german and ,scotch          
,sabbath-keeping habits contrasted--,mr4
 ,watt's ,specimens of ,fossil          
,remains--,the only new ,organism found 
in ,orkney--,back to      ,kirkwall--to 
,wick--,vedder's ,ode to ,orkney4   ,we 
landed at ,hoy1 on a rocky stretch of   
shore1 composed of the gray flagstones  
of the district4 ,they spread out here  
in front of the tall hills composed of  
the overlying sandstone1 in a green     
undulating platform1 resembling a       
somewhat uneven esplanade spread out in 
front of a steep rampart4 ,with the     
upper deposit a new style of scenery    
commences1 unique in these islands3 the 
hills1 bold and abrupt1 rise from       
fourteen to sixteen hundred feet over   

the sea-level2 and the valleys by which 
they are traversed1--no mere shallow    
inflections of the general surface1 like
 most of the other valleys of           
,orkney1--are of profound depth1        
precipitous1 imposing1 and solitary4    
,the sudden change from the soft1 low1  
and comparatively tame1 to the bold1    
stern1 and high1 serves admirably to    
show how much the character of a        
landscape may depend on the formation   
which composes it4 ,a walk of somewhat  
less than two miles brought me into the 
depths of a brown1 shaggy valley1 so    
profoundly solitary1 that it does not   
contain a single human habitation1 nor1 
with one interesting exception1 a single
 trace of the hand of man4 ,as the      
traveller approaches by a path somewhat 
elevated1 in order to avoid the peaty   
bogs of the bottom1 along the slopes of 
the northern side of the dell1 he sees1 
amid the heath below1 what at first     
seems to be a rhomboidal piece of       
pavement of pale ,old ,red ,sandstone1  

bearing atop a few stunted tufts of     
vegetation4 ,there are no neighboring   
objects of a known character by which to
 estimate its size2 the precipitous     
hill-front behind is more than a        
thousand feet in height3 the greatly    
taller ,ward ,hill of ,hoy1 which frowns
 over it on the opposite side1 is at    
least five hundred feet higher2 and1    
dwarfed by these giants1 it seems a mere
 pavior's flag1 mayhap some five or six 
feet square1 by from eighteen inches to 
two feet in depth4 ,it is only on       
approaching it within a few yards that  
we find it to be an enormous stone1     
nearly thirty feet in length by almost  
fifteen feet in breadth1 and in some    
places1 though it thins1 wedge-like1    
towards one of the edges1 more than six 
feet in thickness1--forming altogether  
such a mass as the quarrier would detach
 from the solid rock to form the        
architrave of some vast gateway1 or the 
pediment of some colossal statue4 ,a    
cave-like excavation1 nearly three feet 

square1 and rather more than seven feet 
in depth1 opens on its gray and lichened
 side4 ,the excavation is widened       
within1 along the opposite walls1 into  
two uncomfortably short beds1 very much 
resembling those of the cabin of a small
 coasting vessel4 ,one of the two is    
furnished with a protecting ledge and a 
pillow of stone1 hewn out of the solid  
mass1 while the other1 which is some    
five or six inches shorter than its     
neighbor1 and presents altogether more  
the appearance of a place of penance    
than of repose1 lacks both cushion and  
ledge4 ,an aperture1 which seems to have
 been originally of a circular form1 and
 about two and a half feet in diameter1 
but which some unlucky herd-boy1        
apparently in the want of better        
employment1 has considerably mutilated  
and widened1 opens at the inner         
excavation of the extremity to the roof1
 as the hatch of a vessel opens from the
 hold to the deck2 for it is by far too 
wide in proportion to the size of the   

apartment to be regarded as a chimney4  
,a gray1 rudely-hewn block of sandstone1
 which1 though greatly too ponderous to 
be moved by any man of the ordinary     
strength1 seems to have served the      
purpose of a door1 lies prostrate beside
 the opening in front4 ,and such is the 
famous ,dwarfie ,stone of ,hoy1 as      
firmly fixed in our literature by the   
genius of ,sir ,walter ,scott1 as in    
this wild valley by its ponderous weight
 and breadth of base1 and regarding     
which--for it shares in the general     
obscurity of the other ancient remains  
of ,orkney--the antiquary can do little 
more than repeat1 somewhat              
incredulously1 what tradition tells him1
 viz41 that it was the work1 many ages  
ago1 of an ugly1 malignant goblin1      
half-earth half-air1--the ,elfin        
,trolld1--a personage1 it is said1 that 
even within the last century1 used      
occasionally to be seen flitting about  
in its neighborhood4  ,i was fortunate  
in a fine breezy day1 clear and         

sunshiny1 save where the shadows of a   
few dense piled-up clouds swept dark    
athwart the landscape4 ,in the secluded 
recesses of the valley all was hot1     
heavy and still2 though now and then a  
fitful snatch of a breeze1 the mere     
fragment of some broken gust that seemed
 to have lost its way1 tossed for a     
moment the white cannach of the bogs1 or
 raised spirally into the air1 for a few
 yards1 the light beards of some seeding
 thistle1 and straightway let them down 
again4 ,suddenly1 however1 about noon1 a
 shower broke thick and heavy against   
the dark sides and gray scalp of the    
,ward ,hill1 and came sweeping down the 
valley4 ,i did what ,norna of the       
,fitful ,head had1 according to the     
novelist1 done before me in similar     
circumstances1 crept for shelter into   
the larger bed of the cell1 which1      
though rather scant1 taken fairly       
lengthwise1 for a man of five feet      
eleven1 ,i found1 by stretching myself  
diagonally from corner to corner1 no    

very uncomfortable lounging-place in a  
thunder-shower4 ,some provident herd-boy
 had spread it over1 apparently months  
before1 with a littering of heath and   
fern1 which now formed a dry1 springy   
conch2 and as ,i lay wrapped up in my   
plaid1 listening to the rain-drops as   
they pattered thick and heavy atop1 or  
slanted through the broken hatchway to  
the vacant bed on the opposite side of  
the excavation1 ,i called up the wild   
narrative of ,norna1 and felt all its   
poetry4 ,the opening passage of the     
story is1 however1 not poetry1 but good 
prose1 in which the curious visitor     
might give expression to his own        
conjectures1 if ingenious enough either 
to form or to express them so well4     
,with my eyes fixed on the smaller bed1 
the sorceress is made to say1 ,i wearied
 myself with conjectures regarding the  
origin and purpose of my singular place 
of refuge4 ,had it been really the work 
of that powerful ,trolld to whom the    
poetry of the ,scalds referred it8 or   

was it the tomb of some ,scandinavian   
chief1 interred with his arms and his   
wealth1 perhaps also with his immolated 
wife1 that what he loved best in life   
might not in death be divided from him8 
or was it the abode of penance chosen by
 some devoted anchorite of later days8  
or the idle work of some wandering      
mechanic1 whom chance1 and whim1 and    
leisure1 had thrust upon such an        
undertaking8 ,what follows this sober   
passage is the work of the poet4 ,sleep1
 continues ,norna1 had gradually crept  
upon me among my lucubrations1 when ,i  
was startled from my slumbers by a      
second clap of thunder1 and when ,i     
awoke1 ,i saw through the dim light     
which the upper aperture admitted1 the  
unshapely and indistinct form of ,trolld
 the dwarf1 seated opposite to me on the
 lesser couch1 which his square and     
misshapen bulk seemed absolutely to fill
 up4 ,i was startled1 but not           
affrighted2 for the blood of the ancient
 race of ,lochlin was warm in my veins4 

,he spoke1 and his words were of        
,norse1--so old1 that few save my       
father1 or ,i myself could have         
comprehended their import1--such        
language as was spoken in these islands 
ere ,olave planted his cross on the     
ruins of heathenism4 ,his meaning was   
dark also1 and obscure1 like that which 
the pagan priests were wont to deliver1 
in the name of their idols1 to the      
tribes that assembled at the            
,helgafels4444 ,i answered him in nearly
 the same strain1 for the spirit of the 
ancient ,scalds of our race was upon me2
 and far from fearing the phantom with  
whom ,i sat cooped within so narrow a   
space1 ,i felt the impulse of that high 
courage which thrust the ancient        
champions and ,druidesses upon contests 
with the invisible world1 when they     
thought that the earth no longer        
contained enemies worthy to be subdued  
by them4444 ,the ,demon scowled at me as
 if at once incensed and overawed2 and  
then1 coiling himself up in a thick and 

sulphurous vapor1 he disappeared from   
his place4 ,i did not till that moment  
feel the influence of fright1 but then  
it seized me4 ,i rushed into the open   
air1 where the tempest had passed away1 
and all was pure and serene4 ,shall ,i  
dare confess1 that ,i could fain have   
passed some stormy night all alone in   
this solitary cell1 were it but to enjoy
 the luxury of listening1 amid the      
darkness1 to the clashing rain and the  
roar of the wind high among the cliffs1 
or to detect the brushing sound of hasty
 footsteps in the wild rustle of the    
heath1 or the moan of unhappy spirits in
 the low roar of the distant sea4 ,or1  
mayhap1--again to borrow from the       
poet1--as midnight was passing into     
morning1   ,to ponder o'er some mystic  
lay1  ,till the wild tale had all its   
sway2  ,and in the bittern's distant    
shriek  ,i heard unearthly voices speak1
  ,or thought the wizard priest was come
  ,to claim again his ancient home6     
,and bade my busy fancy range  ,to frame

 him fitting shape and strange2  ,till  
from the dream my brow ,i cleared1  ,and
 smiled to think that ,i had feared4    
,the ,dwarfie ,stone has been a good    
deal undervalued by some writers1 such  
as the historian of ,orkney1 ,mr4       
,barry2 and1 considered simply as a work
 of art or labor1 it certainly does not 
stand high4 ,when tracing1 as ,i lay    
a-bed1 the marks of the tool1 which1 in 
the harder portions of the stone1 are   
still distinctly visible1 ,i just       
thought how that1 armed with pick and   
chisel1 and working as ,i was once      
accustomed to work1 ,i could complete   
such another excavation to order in some
 three weeks or a month4 ,but then1 ,i  
could not make my excavation a thousand 
years old1 nor envelop its origin in the
 sun-gilt vapors of a poetic obscurity1 
nor connect it with the supernatural1   
through the influences of wild ancient  
traditions1 nor yet encircle it with a  
classic halo1 borrowed from the undying 
inventions of an exquisite literary     

genius4 ,a half-worn pewter spoon1      
stamped on the back with the word       
,london1 which was found in a miserable 
hut on the banks of the ,awatska by some
 ,british sailors1 at once excited in   
their minds a thousand tender           
remembrances of their country4 ,and it  
would1 ,i suspect1 be rather a poor     
criticism1 and scarcely suited to       
grapple with the true phenomena of the  
case1 that1 wholly overlooking the      
magical influences of the associative   
faculty1 would concentrate itself simply
 on either the-workmanship or the       
materials of the spoon4 ,nor is the     
,dwarfie ,stone to be correctly         
estimated1 independently of the         
suggestive principle1 on the rules of   
the mere quarrier who sells stones by   
the cubic foot1 or of the mere          
contractor for hewn work who dresses    
them by the square one4  ,the pillow ,i 
found lettered over with the names of   
visitors2 but the stone1--an exceedingly
 compact red sandstone1--had resisted   

the imperfect tools at the command of   
the traveller1--usually a nail or knife2
 and so there were but two of the names 
decipherable1--that of an ,h4 ,ross1    
#agce1 and that of a ,p4 ,,folster1     
#ahcj4 ,the rain still pattered heavily 
overhead2 and with my geological chisel 
and hammer ,i did1 to beguile the time1 
what ,i very rarely do1--added my name  
to the others1 in characters which1 if  
both they and the ,dwarfie ,stone get   
but fair play1 will be distinctly       
legible two centuries hence4 ,in what   
state will the world then exist1 or what
 sort of ideas will fill the head of the
 man who1 when the rock has well-nigh   
yielded up its charge1 will decipher the
 name for the last time1 and inquire1   
mayhap1 regarding the individual whom it
 now designates1 as ,i did this morning1
 when ,i asked1 ,who was this ,h4 ,ross1
 and who this ,p4 ,folster8 ,i remember 
when it would have saddened me to think 
that there would in all probability be  
as little response in the one case as in

 the other2 but as men rise in years    
they become more indifferent than in    
early youth to that life which wits     
inherit after death1 and are content to 
labor on and be obscure4 ,they learn1   
too1 if ,i may judge from experience1 to
 pursue science more exclusively for its
 own sake1 with less1 mayhap1 of        
enthusiasm to carry them on1 but with   
what is at least as strong to take its  
place as a moving force1 that wind and  
bottom of formed habit through which    
what were at first acts of the will pass
 into easy half-instinctive promptings  
of the disposition4 ,in order to        
acquaint myself with the fossiliferous  
deposits of ,scotland1 ,i have          
travelled1 hammer in hand1 during the   
last nine years1 over fully ten thousand
 miles2 nor has the work been in the    
least one of dry labor1--not more so    
than that of the angler1 or             
grouse-shooter1 or deer-stalker3 it has 
occupied the mere leisure interstices of
 a somewhat busy life1 and has served to

 relieve its toils4 ,i have succeeded1  
however1 in accomplishing but little3   
besides1 what is discovery to-day will  
be but rudimentary fact to the          
tyro-geologists of the future4 ,but if  
much has not been done1 ,i have at least
 the consolation of ,george ,buchanan1  
when1 according to ,melvill1 fand       
sitting in his chair1 teiching his young
 man that servit him in his chalmer to  
spell a1 b1 ab2 e1 b1 eb4 ',better      
this1' quoth he1 'nor stelling sheipe4' 
,the sun broke out in great beauty after
 the shower1 glistening on a thousand   
minute runnels that came streaming down 
the precipices1 and revealing1 through  
the thin vapory haze1 the horizontal    
lines of strata that bar the hill-sides1
 like courses of ashlar in a building4  
,i failed1 however1 to detect1 amid the 
general many-pointed glitter by which   
the blue gauze-like mist was bespangled1
 the light of the great carbuncle for   
which the ,ward ,hill has long been     
famous1--that wondrous gem1 according to

 ,sir ,walter1 that1 though it gleams   
ruddy as a furnace to them that view it 
from beneath1 ever becomes invisible to 
him whose daring foot scales the        
precipices whence it darts its splendor4
 ,the ,hill of ,hoy is1 however1 not the
 only one in the kingdom that1 according
 to tradition1 bears a jewel in its     
forehead4 ,the great diamond of the     
,northern ,sutor was at one time scarce 
less famous than the carbuncle of the   
,ward ,hill4 ,i have been oftener than  
once interrogated on the western coast  
of ,scotland regarding the diamond rock 
of ,cromarty2 and have been told1 by an 
old campaigner who fought under         
,abercrombie1 that he has listened to   
the familiar story of its diamond amid  
the sand wastes of ,egypt4 ,but the     
diamond has long since disappeared2 and 
we now see only the rock4 ,unlike the   
carbuncle of ,hoy1 it was never seen by 
day2 though often1 says the legend1 the 
benighted boatmen has gazed1 from amid  
the darkness1 as he came rowing along   

the shore1 on its clear beacon-like     
flame1 which1 streaming from the        
precipice1 threw a fiery strip across   
the water2 and often have the mariners  
of other countries inquired whether the 
light which they saw so high among the  
cliffs1 right over their mast1 did not  
proceed from the shrine of some saint or
 the cell of some hermit4 ,at length an 
ingenious ship-captain determined on    
marking its place1 brought with him from
 ,england a few balls of chalk1 and took
 aim at it in the night-time with one of
 his great guns4 ,ere he had fired1     
however1 it vanished1 as if suddenly    
withdrawn by some guardian hand2 and its
 place in the rock front has ever since 
remained as undistinguishable1 whether  
by night or by day1 as the scaurs and   
clefts around it4 ,the marvels of the   
present time abide examination more     
patiently4 ,it seems difficult enough to
 conceive1 for instance1 that the upper 
deposit of the ,lower ,old ,red in this 
locality1 out of which the mountains of 

,hoy have been scooped1 once overlaid   
the flag stones of all ,orkney1 and     
stretched on and away to ,dunnet ,head1 
,tarbet ,ness1 and the ,black ,isle2 and
 yet such is the story1 variously       
authenticated1 to which their nearly    
horizontal strata1 and their abrupt     
precipices lend their testimony4 ,in no 
case has this superior deposit of the   
formation of the ,coccosteus been known 
to furnish a single fossil2 nor did it  
yield me on this occasion1 among the    
,hills of ,hoy1 what it had denied me   
everywhere else on every former one4    
,sly search1 however1 was by no means   
either very prolonged or very careful4  
,i found ,i had still several hours of  
day-light before me2 and these ,i spent1
 after my return on a rough tumbling sea
 to ,stromness1 in a second survey of   
the coast1 westwards from the granitic  
axis of the island1 to the bishop's     
palace1 and the ichthyolitic quarry     
beyond4 ,from this point of view the    
high terminal ,hill of ,hoy1 towards the

 west1 presents what is really a        
striking profile of ,sir ,walter ,scott1
 sculptured in the rock front by the    
storms of ages1 on so immense a scale1  
that the ,colossus of ,rhodes1 ,pharos  
and all1 would scarce have furnished    
materials enough to supply it with a    
nose4 ,there are such asperities in the 
outline as one might expect in that of a
 rudely modelled bust1 the work of a    
master1 from which1 in his fiery haste1 
he had not detached the superfluous     
clay2 but these interfere in no degree  
with the fidelity1 ,i had almost said   
spirit1 of the likeness4 ,it seems well1
 as it must have waited for thousands of
 years ere it became the portrait it now
 is1 that the human profile1 which it   
preceded so long1 and without which it  
would have lacked the element of        
individual truth1 should have been that 
of ,sir ,walter4 ,amid scenes so        
heightened in interest by his genius as 
those of ,orkney1 he is entitled to a   
monument4 ,to the critical student of   

the philosophy and history of poetic    
invention it is not uninstructive to    
observe how completely the novelist has 
appropriated and brought within the     
compass of one fiction1 in defiance of  
all those lower probabilities which the 
lawyer who pleaded before a jury court  
would be compelled to respect1 almost   
every interesting scene and object in   
both the ,shetland and ,orkney islands4 
,there was but little intercourse in    
those days between the two northern     
archipelagos4 ,it is not yet thirty     
years since they communicated with each 
other1 chiefly through the port of      
,leith1 where their regular traders used
 to meet monthly2 but it was necessary1 
for purposes of effect1 that the dreary 
sublimities of ,shetland should be      
wrought up into the same piece of rich  
tissue with the imposing antiquities of 
,orkney1--,sumburgh ,head and ,roost    
with the ancient ,cathedral of ,st4     
,magnus and the earl's palace1 and      
,fitful ,head and the sand-enveloped    

kirk of ,st4 ,ringan with the ,standing 
,stones of ,stennis and the ,dwarfie    
,stone of ,hoy2 and so the little       
jury-court probabilities have been      
sacrificed without scruple1 and that    
higher truth of character1 and that     
exquisite portraiture of external       
nature1 which give such reality to      
fiction1 and make it sink into the mind 
more deeply than historic fact1 have    
been substituted instead4 ,but          
such1--considerably to the annoyance of 
the lesser critics1--has been ever the  
practice of the greater poets4 ,the     
lesser critics are all critics of the   
jury-court cast2 while all the great    
masters of fiction1 with ,shakspeare at 
their head1 have been asserters of that 
higher truth which is not letter1 but   
spirit1 and contemners of the mere      
judicial probabilities4 ,and so they    
have been continually fretting the      
little men with their extravagances1 and
 they ever will4 ,what were said to be  
the originals of two of ,sir ,walter's  

characters in the ,pirate were living in
 the neighborhood of ,stromness only a  
few years ago4 ,an old woman who resided
 immediately over the town1 in a little 
cottage1 of which there now remains only
 the roofless walls1 and of whom the    
sailors1 weather-bound in the port1 used
 occasionally to purchase a wind1       
furnished him with the first conception 
of his ,norna of the ,fitful ,head2 and 
an eccentric shopkeeper of the place1   
who to his dying day used to designate  
the ,pirate1 with much bitterness1 as a 
lying book1 and its author as a wicked  
lying man1 is said to have suggested the
 character of ,bryce ,snailsfoot the    
peddler4 ,to the sorceress ,sir ,walter 
himself refers in one of his notes4 ,at 
the village of ,stromness1 on the       
,orkney main island1 called ,pomona1    
lived1 he says1 in #ahad1 an aged dame  
called ,bessie ,millie1 who helped out  
her subsistence by selling favorable    
winds to mariners4 ,her dwelling and    
appearance were not unbecoming her      

pretensions3 her house1 which was on the
 brow of the steep hill on which        
,stromness is founded1 was only         
accessible by a series of dirty and     
precipitous lanes1 and1 for exposure1   
might have been the abode of ,aeolus    
himself1 in whose commodities the       
inhabitant dealt4 ,she herself was1 as  
she told us1 nearly one hundred years   
old1 withered and dried up like a mummy4
 ,a clay-colored kerchief1 folded round 
her head1 corresponded in color to her  
corpse-like complexion4 ,two light-blue 
eyes that gleamed with a lustre like    
that of insanity1 an utterance of       
astonishing rapidity1 a nose and chin   
that almost met together1 and a ghastly 
expression of cunning1 gave her the     
effect of ,hecate4 ,she remembered ,gow 
the pirate1 who had been a native of    
these islands1 in which he closed his   
career4 ,such was ,bessie ,millie1 to   
whom the mariners paid a sort of        
tribute1 with a feeling betwixt jest and
 earnest4  ,on the opposite side of     

,stromness1 where the arm of the sea1   
which forms the harbor1 is about a      
quarter of a mile in width1 there is1   
immediately over the shore1 a small     
square patch of ground1 apparently a    
planticruive1 or garden1 surrounded by a
 tall dry-stone fence4 ,it is all that  
survives--for the old dwelling-house to 
which it was attached was pulled down   
several years ago--of the patrimony of  
,gow the ,pirate2 and is not a little   
interesting1 as having formed the       
central nucleus round which1--like those
 bits of thread or wire on which the    
richly saturated fluids of the chemist  
solidify and crystallize1--the entire   
fiction of the novelist aggregated and  
condensed under the influence of forces 
operative only in minds of genius4 ,a   
white1 tall1 old-fashioned house1       
conspicuous on the hill-side1 looks out 
across the bay towards the square       
inclosure1 which it directly fronts4    
,and it is surely a curious coincidence1
 that while in one of these two         

erections1 only a few hundred yards     
apart1 one of the heroes of ,scott saw  
the light1 the other should have proved 
the scene of the childhood of one of the
 heroes of ,byron1   ,torquil1 the      
nursling of the northern seas4  ,the    
reader will remember1 that in ,byron's  
poem of ,the ,island1 one of the younger
 leaders of the mutineers is described  
as a native of these northern isles4 ,he
 is drawn by the poet1 amid the wild    
luxuriance of an island of the ,pacific1
 as             ,the blue-eyed northern 
child1  ,of isles more known to man1 but
 scarce less wild1--  ,the fair-haired  
offspring of the ,orcades1  ,where roars
 the ,pentland with his whirling seas1--
  ,rocked in his cradle by the roaring  
wind1  ,the tempest-born in body and in 
mind1--  ,his young eyes1 opening on the
 ocean foam1--  ,had from that moment   
deemed the deep his home4  ,judging from
 what ,i learned of his real history1   
which is well known in ,stromness1 ,i   
found reason to conclude that he had    

been a hapless young man1 of a kindly1  
genial nature2 and greatly more sinned  
against than sinning1 in the unfortunate
 affair of the mutiny with which his    
name is now associated1 and for his     
presumed share in which1 untried and    
unconvicted1 he was cruelly left to     
perish in chains amid the horrors of a  
shipwreck4 ,i had the honor of being    
introduced on the following day to his  
sister1 a lady far advanced in life1 but
 over whose erect form and handsome     
features the years seemed to have passed
 lightly1 and whom ,i met at the ,free  
,church of ,stromness1 to which1 at the 
,disruption1 she had followed her       
respected minister4 ,it seemed a fact as
 curiously compounded as some of those  
pictures of the last age in which the   
thin unsubstantialities of allegory     
mingled with the tangibilities of the   
real and the material1 that the sister  
of one of ,byron's heroes should be an  
attached member of the ,free ,church4   
,on my return to the inn1 ,i found in   

the public room a young ,german of some 
one or two and twenty1 who1 in making   
the tour of ,scotland1 had extended his 
journey into ,orkney4 ,my specimens1    
which had begun to accumulate in the    
room1 on chimney-piece and window-sill1 
had attracted his notice1 and led us    
into conversation4 ,he spoke ,english   
well1 but not fluently1--in the style of
 one who had been more accustomed to    
read than to converse in it2 and he     
seemed at least as familiar with two of 
our great ,british authors1--,shakspeare
 and ,sir ,walter ,scott1--as most of   
the better-informed ,british themselves4
 ,it was chiefly the descriptions of    
,sir ,walter in the ,pirate that had led
 him into ,orkney4 ,he had already      
visited the ,cathedral of ,st4 ,magnus  
and the ,stones of ,stennis2 and on the 
morrow he intended visiting the ,dwarfie
 ,stone2 though ,i ventured to suggest  
that1 as a broad sound lay between      
,stromness and ,hoy1 and as the morrow  
was the ,sabbath1 he might find some    

difficulty in doing that4 ,his circle of
 acquirement was1 ,i found1 rather      
literary than scientific4 ,it seemed1   
however1 to be that of a really         
accomplished young man1 greatly better  
founded in his scholarship than most of 
our young ,scotchmen on quitting the    
national universities2 and ,i felt1 as  
we conversed together1 chiefly on       
,english literature and general         
politics1 how much poorer a figure ,i   
would have cut in his country than he   
cut in mine4 ,i found1 on coming down   
from my room next morning to a rather   
late breakfast1 that he had been out    
among the ,stromness fishermen1 and had 
returned somewhat chafed4 ,not a single 
boatman could he find in a populous     
seaport town that would undertake to    
carry him to the ,dwarfie ,stone on the 
,sabbath1--a fact1 to their credit1     
which it is but simple justice to state4
 ,i saw him afterwards in the ,free     
,church1 listening attentively to a     
thoroughly earnest and excellent        

discourse1 by the ,disruption minister  
of the parish1 ,mr4 ,learmonth2 and in  
the course of the evening he dropped in 
for a short time to the ,free ,church   
,sabbath-school1 where he took his seat 
beside one of the teachers1 as if       
curious to ascertain more in detail the 
character of the instruction which had  
operated so influentially on the        
boatmen1 and which he had seen telling  
from the pulpit with such evident       
effect4 ,what would not his country now 
give1--now1 while drifting loose from   
all its old moorings1 full on the perils
 of a lee shore1--for the anchor of a   
faith equally steadfast6 ,he was a      
,lutheran1 he told me2 but1 as is too   
common in ,germany1 his actual beliefs  
appeared to be very considerably at     
variance with his hereditary creed4 ,the
 creed was a tolerably sound one1 but   
the living belief regarding it seemed to
 do little more than take cognizance of 
what he deemed the fact of its death4   
,i had carried with me a letter of      

introduction to ,mr4 ,william ,watt1 to 
whom ,i have already had occasion to    
refer as an intelligent geologist2 but  
the letter ,i had no opportunity of     
delivering4 ,mr4 ,watt had learned1     
however1 of my being in the             
neighborhood1 and kindly walked into    
,stromness1 some six or eight miles1 on 
the morning of ,monday1 to meet with me1
 bringing me a few of his rarer         
specimens4 ,one of the number1--a minute
 ichthyolite1 about three inches in     
length1--,i was at first disposed to set
 down as new1 but ,i have since come to 
regard it as simply an                  
imperfectly-preserved specimen of a     
,cromarty and ,morayshire species1--the 
,glyptolepis microlepidotus2 though its 
state of keeping is such as to render   
either conclusion an uncertainty4       
,another of the specimens was that of a 
fish1 still comparatively rare1 first   
figured in the first edition of my      
little volume on the ,old ,red          
,sandstone1 from the earliest found     

specimen1 at a time while it was yet    
unfurnished with a name1 but which has  
since had a place assigned to it in the 
genus ,diplacanthus1 as the species     
longispinus4 ,the scales1 when examined 
by the glass1 remind one1 from their    
pectinated character1 of shells covering
 the walls of a grotto1--a peculiarity  
to which1 when showing my specimen to   
,agassiz1 while it had yet no duplicate1
 ,i directed his attention1 and which   
led him to extemporize for it1 on the   
spot1 the generic name ,ostralepis1 or  
shell-scale4 ,on studying it more       
leisurely1 however1 in the process of   
assigning to it a place in his great    
work1 where the reader may now find it  
figured 7,table ,,xiv41 fig4 #h71 the   
naturalist found reason to rank it among
 the ,diplacanthi4 ,mr4 ,watt's specimen
 exhibited the outline of the head more 
completely than mine2 but the ,orkney   
ichthyolites rarely present the         
microscopic minutiae2 and the shell-like
 aspect of the scales was shown in but  

one little patch1 where they had left   
their impressions on the stone4 ,his    
other specimens consisted of single     
plates of a variety of ,coccosteus1     
undistinguishable in their form and     
proportions from those of the           
,coccosteus decipiens1 but which        
exceeded by about one-third the average 
size of the corresponding parts in that 
species2 and of a rib-like bone1 that   
belonged apparently to what few of the  
ichthyolites of the ,lower ,old ,red    
seem to have possessed1--an osseous     
internal skeleton4 ,this last organism  
was the only one ,i saw in ,orkney with 
which ,i had not been previously        
acquainted1 or which ,i could regard as 
new1 though possibly enough it may have 
formed part1 not of an undiscovered     
genus1 but of the known genus           
,asterolepis1 of whose inner framework1 
judging from the ,russian specimens at  
least1 portions must have been bony4    
,after parting from ,mr4 ,watt1 ,i      
travelled on to ,kirkwall1 which1 after 

a leisurely journey1 ,i reached late in 
the evening1 and on the following       
morning took the steamer for ,wick4 ,i  
brought away with me1 if not many rare  
specimens or many new geological facts1 
at least a few pleasing recollections of
 an interesting country and a hospitable
 people4 ,in the previous chapter ,i    
indulged in a brief quotation from ,mr4 
,david ,vedder1 the sailor-poet of      
,orkney1 and ,i shall make no apology   
for availing myself in the present1 of  
the vigorous1 well-turned stanzas in    
which he portrays some of those peculiar
 features by which the land of his      
nativity may be best recognized and most
 characteristically remembered4   ,,to  
,,orkney4   ,land of the                
whirlpool1--torrent1--foam1    ,where   
oceans meet in madd'ning shock2  ,the   
beetling cliff1--the shelving holm1--   
,the dark insidious rock4  ,land of the 
bleak1 the treeless moor1--    ,the     
sterile mountain1 sered and riven1--    
,the shapeless cairn1 the ruined tower1 

,scathed by the bolts of heaven1--  ,the
 yawning gulf1--the treacherous sand1-- 
love thee still1 ,,my ,,native ,,land4  
,land of the dark1 the ,runic rhyme1--  
,the mystic ring1--the cavern hoar1--   
,the ,scandinavian seer1 sublime    ,in 
legendary lore4  ,land of a thousand    
sea-kings' graves1--    ,those tameless 
spirits of the past1  ,fierce as their  
subject arctic waves1    ,or hyperborean
 blast1--  ,though polar billows round  
thee foam1  ,i love thee6--thou wert    
once my home4   ,with glowing heart and 
island lyre1    ,ah6 would some native  
bard arise  ,to sing1 with all a poet's 
fire1    ,thy stern sublimities1--  ,the
 roaring flood1--the rushing stream1--  
,the promontory wild and bare1--  ,the  
pyramid1 where sea-birds scream1        
,aloft in middle air1--  ,the ,druid    
temple on the heath1  ,old even beyond  
tradition's birth4   ,though ,i have    
roamed through verdant glades1    ,in   
cloudless climes1 'neath azure skies1   
,or plucked from beauteous orient meads1

    ,flowers of celestial dies1--       
,though ,i have laved in limpid streams1
    ,that murmur over golden sands1  ,or
 basked amid the fulgid beams    ,that  
flame o'er fairer lands1  ,or stretched 
me in the sparry grot1--  ,my country6  
,,thou wert ne'er forgot4   ,,the ,,end4
   ,,footnotes3  #a ,march #ca1 #ahde4  
#b ,professor ,nicol of ,aberdeen       
believes the ,red ,sandstones of the    
,west ,highlands are of ,devonian age1  
and the quartzite and limestone of      
,lower ,carboniferous4--,see ,quarterly 
,journal of the ,geological ,society1   
,february #aheg4--,w4,s4  #c ,sir ,r4   
,murchison considers these rocks        
,silurian4 ,see ,quarterly ,journal of  
the ,geological ,society1 ,anniversary  
,address4  #d ,probably one of the      
,isastrea of ,edwards4  #e ,see a paper 
by the ,rev4 ,p4,b4 ,brodie1 on ,lias   
,corals1 ,edinburgh ,new ,philosophic   
,journal1 ,april1 #aheg4  #f ,the verses
 here referred to are introduced into   
,my ,schools and ,schoolmasters1 chapter

 tenth4  #g ,for a description of this  
pond see ,my ,schools and               
,schoolmasters1 chapter tenth4  #h      
,these remarks refer to the poem ,on    
,seeing a ,sun-,dial in a ,churchyard1  
which was introduced here when these    
chapters were first published in the    
,witness1 but1 having been afterwards   
inserted in the tenth chapter of ,my    
,schools and ,schoolmasters1 is not here
 reproduced4  #i ,mr4 ,peach has        
discovered fossils in the ,durness      
limestone1 which rests above the        
quartzite rock of the west of ,scotland1
 that covers the ,red ,sandstone long   
believed to be ,,old ,,red4 ,the fossils
 are very obscure4--,w4,s4,s4  #aj ,this
 second title hears reference to the    
extent of the author's geologic         
excursions in ,scotland1 during the nine
 years from #ahdj to #ahdh inclusive4   
#aa ,since the above was written1 ,i    
have seen an interesting paper in       
,hogg's ,weekly ,instructor1 in which   
the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,longmuir of ,aberdeen   

describes a visit to the ,lias clay at  
,blackpots4 ,mr4 ,longmuir seems to have
 given more time to his researches than 
,i found it agreeable1 in a very        
indifferent day to devote to mine2 and  
his list of fossils is considerably     
longer4 ,their evidence1 however1 runs  
in exactly the same tract with that of  
the shorter list4 ,he had been told at  
,banff that the clay contained petrified
 tangles2 and the first organism shown  
him by the workmen1 on his arrival at   
the deposit1 were some of the tangles in
 question4 ,these he goes on to say1 we 
found1 as may have already been         
anticipated1 to be pieces of            
,belemnites1 well known on the other    
side of the ,frith as 'thunderbolts1'   
and esteemed of sovereign efficacy in   
the cure of bewitched cattle4 ,though   
still wide of the mark1 there is here an
 evident descent from the supernatural  
to the physical1 from the superstitious 
to the true4 ,satisfied that we had a   
mass of ,lias clay before us1 we set    

vigorously to work1 in order either to  
find additional characteristic fossils1 
or obtain data on which to form a       
conjecture as to the history of this    
out-of-the-way deposit2 and our labor   
was not without its reward4 ,we shall   
now present a brief account of the      
specimens we picked up4 ,observing a    
number of stones of different sizes1    
that had been thrown out1 as they were  
struck1 by the workman's shovel1 we     
immediately commenced1 and1 like an     
inquisitor of old1 knocked our victims  
on the head1 that they might reveal     
their secrets2 or1 like a ,roman        
haruspex1 examined their interior1--not1
 however1 to obtain a knowledge of the  
future1 but only to take a peep into the
 past4 #a4 ,here1 then1 we take up1 not 
a regular ,lias lime nodule1 but what   
appears to have formed part of one2 and 
the first blow has laid open part of a  
whorl of an ,ammonite1 which1 when      
complete1 must have measured three or   
four inches in diameter1 and it is      

perfectly assimilated to the calcareous 
matrix4 #b4 ,here is a mass of indurated
 clay2 and a gentle blow has exposed    
part of two ,ammonites1 smaller than the
 former1 but their shells are white and 
powdery like chalk4 #c4 ,another        
fragment is laid open2 and there1 quite 
unmistakably1 lie the umbo and greater  
portion of the ,plagiostoma             
concentricum4 #d4 ,another fragment of a
 granular gritty structure presents a   
considerable portion of the interior of 
one of the shells of a ,pecten1 but     
whether the attached fragment is part of
 one of its ears1 or of the other valve 
turned backward1 is not so easily       
determined4 #e4 ,here is a piece of     
,belemnite in limestone1 and the        
fracture in the fossil presents the     
usual glistening planes of cleavage4 #f4
 ,next we take up a piece of distinctly 
laminated ,lias1 with ,ammonites as     
thick as they can lie on the pages of   
this black book of natural history4 #g4 
,once more we strike1 and we have the   

cast and part of the shell of another   
bivalve2 but the valves have been jerked
 off each other1 and have suffered a    
severe compound fracture2 nevertheless  
we can have little hesitation in        
pronouncing it a species of unio4 #h4   
,here is another piece of limestone1    
with its small fragment of another      
shell1 of very delicate texture1 with   
finely marked traverse striae4 ,we are  
unwilling to decide on such slight      
evidence1 but feel inclined to refer it 
to some species of ,plagiostoma4 #i4    
,here is a piece of pyrites1 not quite  
so large as the first1 and so           
vegetable-like in its markings1 that it 
might be mistaken for part of a branch  
of a tree4 ,this is also characteristic 
of the ,lias2 for when the shales are   
deeply impregnated with bitumen and     
pyrites1 they undergo a slow combustion 
when heaped up with faggots and set on  
fire2 and in the cliffs of the          
,yorkshire coast1 after rainy weather1  
they sometimes spontaneously ignite1 and

 continue to burn for several months4   
#aj4 ,as we passed through the works1 on
 our way to the clay1 we observed a sort
 of reservoir1 into which the clay1     
after being freed from its impurities1  
had been run in a liquid state2 the     
water had evaporated1 and the drying    
clay had cracked in every direction4    
,here we find its counterpart in this   
large mass of stone2 only the clay here1
 mixed with a portion of lime is        
petrified1 and the fissures filled up   
with carbonate of lime2 thus forming the
 septaria1 or cement stone4 ,we have    
dressed a specimen of it for our guide1 
who has a friend that will polish it1   
when the dark ,lias will be strikingly  
contrasted with the white lime1 and form
 rather a pretty piece of natural       
mosaic4 #aa4 ,coming to a simple piece  
of machinery for removing fragments of  
shale and stone from the clay1 we       
examined some of the bits so rejected1  
and found what we had no doubt were     
fish-scales4 #ab4 ,we have yet to notice

 certain long slender bodies1 outwardly 
brown1 but inwardly nearly black1       
resembling whip-cord in size4 ,are we to
 regard these as specimens of a fucus1  
perhaps the filum1 or allied to it1     
which is known in some places by the    
appropriate name of sea-laces8 #ac4     
,passing on to the office1 we were shown
 a chop of wood that had been found in  
the clay1 and was destined for the      
,banff ,museum4 ,it is about eighteen   
inches in length1 and half as much in   
breadth2 and although evidently         
water-worn1 yet we could count between  
twenty-five and thirty concentric rings 
on one of its ends1 which not only      
enabled us to form some conjecture of   
its age previous to its overthrow1 but  
also justified us in referring it to the
 coniferae of the vorwelt1 or ancient   
world4  ,mr4 ,longmuir makes the        
following shrewd remarks1 in answering  
the question1 ,whether have we here a   
mass of ,lias clay1 as originally       
deposited1 or has it resulted from the  

breaking up of ,lias-shale8 ,the former 
alternative1 says ,mr4 ,longmuir1 we    
have heard1 has been maintained2 but we 
are inclined to adopt the latter1 and   
that for the following reasons3 #a4     
,this clay1 judging from other          
localities1 is not in situ1 but has     
every appearance of having been         
precipitated into a basin in the gneiss 
on which it rests1 having apparently    
under it1 although it is impossible to  
say to what extent1 a bed of comminuted 
shells4 #b4 ,the fossils are all        
fragmentary and water-worn4 ,this is    
especially the case with regard to the  
,belemnites1 the pieces averaging from  
one to two inches in length1 no workman 
having ever found a complete specimen1  
such as occurs in the ,lias-shale at    
,cromarty1 in which they may be found   
nine inches in length4 #c4 ,but perhaps 
the most satisfactory proof1 and one    
that in itself may be deemed sufficient1
 is the frequent occurrence of pieces of
 ,lias-shale1 with their embedded       

,ammonites2 which clearly show that the 
,lias had been broken up1 tossed about  
in some violent agitation of the sea1   
and churned into clay1 just as some     
denudating process of a similar nature  
swept away the chalk of ,aberdeenshire1 
leaving on many of its hills and plains 
the water-worn flints1 with the         
characteristic fossils of the           
,cretaceous formation4  #ab ,a          
description of ,miss ,bond and of her   
,letters here referred to1 is given in  
the fifth chapter of ,my ,schools and   
,schoolmasters4  #ac ,the story here    
referred to is narrated in ,scenes and  
,legends of the ,north of ,scotland1    
chap4 ,,xxv4  #ad ,scaur1 ,scotice1 a   
precipice of clay4 ,there is no single  
,english word that conveys exactly the  
same idea4  #ae ,mr4 ,dick has since    
disinterred from out the boulder-clays  
of the ,burn of ,freswick1 ,patella     
vulgata1 ,buccinum undatum1 ,fesus      
antiquus1 ,rostellaria1 ,pes pelicana1 a
 ,natica1 ,lutraria1 and ,balanus4  #af 

,that similarity of condition in which  
the hazel and the harder cerealia thrive
 was noted by our north-country farmers 
of the old ,school1 long ere it had been
 recorded by the botanist4 ,hence such  
remarks1 familiarized into proverbs1 as 
,a good nut year's a good ait year2 or1 
,as the nut fills the ait fills4  #ag   
,for this story1 see ,scenes and        
,legends of the ,north of ,scotland1    
chap4 ,,xxv4  #ah ,in the ,river ,st4   
,lawrence1 says ,sir ,charles ,lyell1   
the loose ice accumulates on the shoals 
during the winter1 at which season the  
water is low4 ,the separate fragments of
 ice are readily frozen together in a   
climate where the temperature is        
sometimes thirty degrees below zero1 and
 boulders become entangled with them2 so
 that in the spring1 when the river     
rises on the melting of the snow1 the   
rocks are floated off1 frequently       
conveying away the boulders to great    
distances4 ,a single block of granite1  
fifteen feet long by ten feet both in   

width and height1 and which could not   
contain less than fifteen hundred cubic 
feet of stone1 was in this way moved    
down the river several hundred yards1   
during the late survey in #ahcg4 ,heavy 
anchors of ships1 lying on the shore1   
have in like manner been closed in and  
removed4 ,in ,october #ahcf1 wooden     
stakes were driven several feet into the
 ground1 at one point on the banks of   
the ,st4 ,lawrence1 at high-water mark1 
and over them were piled many boulders  
as large as the united force of six men 
could roll4 ,the year after1 all the    
boulders had disappeared1 and others had
 arrived1 and the stakes had been drawn 
out and carried away by the             
ice4--',elements1' first edition1 p4    
#ach4  #ai ,the story of the ,lady of   
,balconie and her keys is narrated in   
,scenes and ,legends of the ,north of   
,scotland4 chap4 ,,xi4  #bj ,this mode  
is described in a traditionary story    
regarding a gigantic tribe of ,fions1   
narrated in ,scenes and ,legends of the 

,north of ,scotland1 chap4 ,,iv4  #ba   
,see ,my ,schools and ,schoolmasters1   
chap ,,xi4  #bb ,i can entertain no     
doubt that the angular groups of palatal
 teeth figured by ,agassiz and the      
,russian geologists as those of a       
supposed ,placoid termed the ,ctenodus1 
are in reality groups of the palatal    
teeth of ,dipterus4 ,in some of my      
specimens the frontal buckler of        
,polyphractus is connected with the     
gill-covers and scales of ,dipterus1 and
 bears in its palate what cannot he     
distinguished from the teeth of         
,ctenodus4 ,the three genera resolve    
themselves into one4  #bc ,there is a   
very admirable remark to this effect in 
the ,travelling ,memorandums of the late
 ,lord ,gardenstone1 which1 as the work 
has been long out of print1 and is now  
scarce1 may be new to many of my        
readers3 ,it is certain1 and            
demonstrated by the experience of ages  
and nations1 says his ,lordship1 in     
referring to the old principalities of  

,france1 that the government of petty   
princes is less favorable to the        
security and interests of society than  
the government of monarchs1 who possess 
great and extensive territories4 ,the   
race of great monarchs cannot possibly  
preserve a safe and undisturbed state of
 government1 without many delegations of
 power and office to men of approved    
abilities and practical knowledge1 who  
are subject to complaint during their   
administration1 and responsible when it 
is at an end2 or yet without an         
established system of laws and          
regulations2 so that no inconsiderable  
degree of security and liberty to the   
subject is almost inseparable from1 and 
essential to1 the subsistence and       
duration of a great monarchy4 ,but it is
 easy for petty princes to practise an  
arbitrary and irregular exercise of     
power1 by which their people are reduced
 to a condition of miserable slavery4   
,indeed1 very few of them1 in the course
 of ages1 are capable of conceiving any 

other means of maintaining the          
ostentatious state1 the luxurious and   
indolent pride1 which they mistake for  
greatness4 ,i heartily wish that this   
observation and censure may not1 in some
 instances1 be applicable to great      
landed proprietors in some parts of     
,britain4--,travelling ,memorandums1    
vol4 i4 p4 #abc4 #agib4  #bd ,the       
exciting effects of a poor soil1 or     
climate1 or of severe usage1 on the     
productive powers of various vegetable  
species1 have been long and often       
remarked4 ,flavel describes1 in one of  
his ingenious emblems1 illustrative of  
the influence of affliction on the      
,christian1 an orchard tree1 which had  
been beaten with sticks and stones1 till
 it presented a sorely stunted and      
mutilated appearance2 but which1 while  
the fairer and more vigorous trees      
around it were rich in only leaves1 was 
laden with fruit1--a direct consequence1
 it is shown1 of the hard treatment to  
which it had been subjected4 ,i have    

heard it told in a northern village1 as 
a curious anecdote1 that a large pear   
tree1 which during a vigorous existence 
of nearly fifty years1 had borne scarce 
a single pear1 had1 when in a state of  
decay1 and for a few years previous to  
its death1 borne immense crops of from  
two to three bolls each season4 ,and the
 skilful gardener not unfrequently      
avails himself of the principle on which
 both phenomena seem to have            
occurred1--that exhibited in the beaten 
and that in the decaying tree1--in      
rendering his barren plants fruitful4   
,he has recourse to it even when merely 
desirous of ascertaining the variety of 
pear or apple which some thriving       
sapling1 slow in bearing1 is yet to     
produce4 ,selecting some bough which may
 be conveniently lopped away without    
destroying the symmetry of the tree1 he 
draws his knife across the bark1 and    
inflicts on it a wound1 from which1     
though death may not ensue for some two 
or three twelvemonths1 it cannot        

ultimately recover4 ,next spring the    
wounded branch is found to bear its     
bunches of blossoms2 the blossoms set   
into fruit2 and while in the other      
portions of the plant all is vigorous   
and barren as before1 the dying part of 
it1 as if sobered by the near prospect  
of dissolution1 is found fulfilling the 
proper end of its existence4 ,soil and  
climate1 too1 exert1 it has been often  
remarked1 a similar influence4 ,in the  
united parishes of ,kirkmichael and     
,culicuden1 in the immediate            
neighborhood of ,cromarty1 much of the  
soil is cold and poor1 and the exposure 
ungenial2 and in most parts1 where      
hardwood has been planted1 says the     
,rev4 ,mr4 ,sage of ,resolis1 in his    
,statistical ,account1 it is stinted in 
its growth1 and bark-bound4             
,comparatively young trees of ash1 he   
shrewdly adds1 are covered with         
seed1--an almost infallible sign that   
their natural growth is checked4 ,the   
leaves1 too1 fall off about the         

beginning of ,september4     ,,valuable 
,,literary ,,and ,,scientific ,,works1  
,,published ,,by  ,,gould ,,and         
,,lincoln1  #ei ,,washington ,,street1  
,,boston4   ,,annual ,,of ,,scientific  
,,discovery ,,for #ahei2 or1 ,year-,book
 of ,facts in ,science and ,art1        
exhibiting the most important           
,discoveries and ,improvements in       
,mechanics1 ,useful ,arts1 ,natural     
,philosophy1 ,chemistry1 ,astronomy1    
,meteorology1 ,zoology1 ,botany1        
,mineralogy1 ,geology1 ,geography1      
,antiquities1 c41 together with a list  
of recent ,scientific ,publications2 a  
classified list of ,patents2 ,obituaries
 of eminent ,scientific ,men2 an ,index 
of ,important ,papers in ,scientific    
,journals1 ,reports1 c4 ,edited by      
,,david ,a4 ,,wells1 ,a4,m4 ,with a     
,portrait of ,prof4 ,o4,m4 ,mitchell1   
#abmo1 cloth1 #a4be4  ,,volumes ,,of    
,,the ,,same ,,work for years #ahej to  
#aheh inclusive4 ,with ,portraits of    
,professors ,agassiz1 ,silltman1 ,henry1

 ,bache1 ,maury1 ,hitchcock1 ,richard   
,m4 ,hoe1 ,profs4 ,jeffries ,wyman1 and 
,h4,d4 ,rogers4 ,nine volumes1 #abmo1   
cloth1 #a4be per vol4       ,this work1 
issued annually1 contains all important 
facts discovered      or announced      
during the year4       -- ,each volume  
is distinct in itself1 and contains     
entirely new      matter4   ,,influence 
,,of ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,science     
,,upon ,,intellectual ,,education4 ,by  
,,william ,,whewell1 ,d4,d41 of ,trinity
 ,college1 ,eng41 and the alleged author
 of ,plurality of ,worlds4 #abmo1 cloth1
 #be cts4   ,,the ,,natural ,,history   
,,of ,,the ,,human ,,species2 ,its      
,typical ,forms and ,primeval           
,distribution4 ,by ,,charles ,,hamilton 
,,smith1 ,with an ,introduction         
containing an ,abstract of the views of 
,blumenbach1 ,prichard1 ,bachman1       
,agassiz1 and other writers of repute4  
,by ,,samuel ,,kneeland1 ,jr41 ,m4,d4   
,with elegant ,illustrations4 #abmo1    
cloth1 #a4be4       ,the marks of       

practical good sense1 careful           
observation1 and deep      research1 are
 displayed in every page4 ,the          
introductory essay of      some seventy 
or eighty pages forms a valuable        
addition to the work4      ,it comprises
 an abstract of the opinions advocated  
by the most      eminent writers on this
 subject4 ,the statements are made with 
strict impartiality1 and1 without a     
comment1 left to the judgment      of   
the reader4--,sartain's ,magazine4      
,,knowledge ,,is ,,power4 ,a ,view of   
the ,productive ,forces of ,modern      
,society1 and the ,results of ,labor1   
,capital1 and ,skill4 ,by ,,charles     
,,knight4 ,with numerous ,illustrations4
 ,american ,edition4 ,revised1 with     
,additions1 by ,,david ,a4 ,,wells1     
,editor of the ,annual of ,scientific   
,discovery4 #abmo1 cloth1 #a4be4        
-- ,this is emphatically a book for the 
people4 ,it contains an      immense    
amount of important information1 which  
everybody ought to be      in possession

 of2 and the volume should be placed in 
every family1      and in every ,school 
and ,public ,library in the land4 ,the  
facts and      illustrations are drawn  
from almost every branch of skilful     
industry1      and it is a work which   
the mechanic and artisan of every       
description      will be sure to read   
with a ,,relish4     ,,important        
,,works4   ,a ,,treatise ,,on ,,the     
,,comparative ,,anatomy ,,of ,,the      
,,animal ,,kingdom4 ,by ,profs4 ,c4     
,,th4 ,,von ,,siebold and ,h4           
,,stannius4 ,translated from the        
,german1 with ,notes1 ,additions1 c4 ,by
 ,,waldo ,i4 ,,burnett1 ,m4,d41 ,boston4
 ,one elegant octavo volume1 cloth1     
#c4jj4       ,this is believed to be    
incomparably the best and most complete 
work      on the subject extant2 and its
 appearance in an ,english dress1 with  
the additions of the ,american          
,translator1 is everywhere welcomed by  
men of science in this country4         
,,united ,,states ,,exploring           

,,expedition2 during the years #ahch1   
#ahci1 #ahdj1 #ahda1 #ahdb1 under       
,,charles ,,wilkes1 ,u4,s4,n4 ,vol4     
,,xii4  ,,mollusca ,,and ,,shells4 ,by  
,,augustus ,a4 ,,gould1 ,m4,d4 ,elegant 
quarto volume1 cloth1 #f4jj4   ,,the    
,,landing ,,at ,,cape ,,anne2 or1 ,,the 
,,charter ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,permanent
 ,,colony ,,on ,,the ,,territory ,,of   
,,the ,,massachusetts ,,company4 ,now   
discovered1 and first published from the
 ,,original ,,manuscript1 with an       
inquiry into its authority1 and a       
,,history ,,of ,,the ,,colony1          
#afbd-afbh1 ,roger ,conant1 ,governor4  
,by ,j4 ,,wingate ,,thornton4 #hvo1     
cloth1 #a4ej4       -- ,a rare          
contribution to the early history of    
,new      ,england4--,mercantile        
,journal4   ,,lake ,,superior2 ,its     
,physical ,character1 ,vegetation1 and  
,animals4 ,by ,l4 ,,agassiz and others4 
,one volume octavo1 elegantly           
,illustrated1 cloth1 #c4ej4   ,,the     
,,hallig2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,in  

,,the ,,waters4 ,a ,tale of ,humble     
,life on the ,coast of ,schleswig4      
,translated from the ,german of         
,,biernatski1 by ,mrs4 ,,george ,p4     
,,marsh4 ,with a ,biographical ,sketch  
of the ,author4 #abmo1 cloth1 #a4jj4    
,as a revelation of an entire new phase 
in human society1 this work             
strongly reminds the reader of ,miss    
,bremer's tales4 ,in originality        
and brilliancy of imagination1 it is not
 inferior to those3--its      aim is far
 higher4   ,,the ,,cruise ,,of ,,the    
,,north ,,star2 ,a ,narrative of the    
,excursion made by ,mr4 ,vanderbilt's   
,party in the ,steam ,yacht1 in her     
,voyage to ,england1 ,russia1 ,denmark1 
,france1 ,spain1 ,italy1 ,malta1        
,turkey1 ,madeira1 c4 ,by ,rev4 ,,john  
,,overton ,,choules1 ,d4,d4 ,with       
elegant ,illustrations1 c4 #abmo1 cloth1
 gilt backs and sides1 #a4ej2 cloth1    
gilt1 #b4jj2 ,turkey1 gilt1 #c4jj4      
,,pilgrimage ,,to ,,egypt2 embracing a  
,diary of ,explorations on the ,nile1   

with ,observations ,illustrative of the 
,manners1 ,customs1 and ,institutions of
 the ,people1 and of the present        
condition of the ,antiquities and       
,ruins4 ,by ,hon4 ,j4,v4,c4 ,,smith1    
late ,mayor of the ,city of ,boston4    
,with numerous elegant ,engravings4     
#abmo1 cloth1 #a4be4     ,,poetical     
,,works4   ,,complete ,,poetical ,,works
 ,,of ,,william ,,cowper2 with a ,life  
and ,critical ,notices of his ,writings4
 ,elegant ,illustrations4 #afmo1 cloth1 
#a4jj4   ,,poetical ,,works ,,of ,,sir  
,,walter ,,scott4 ,life and             
,illustrations4 #afmo1 cloth1 #a4jj4    
,,milton',s ,,poetical ,,works4 ,with a 
,life and elegant ,illustrations4 #afmo1
 cloth1 #a4jj4       -- ,the above      
,poetical ,works1 by standard authors1  
are all of uniform      size and style1 
printed on fine paper from clear1       
distinct type1 with      new and elegant
 illustrations1 richly bound in full    
gilt1 and plain4     ,,works ,,of ,,hugh
 ,,miller4   ,,the ,,old ,,red          

,,sandstone2 or1 ,new ,walks in an ,old 
,field4 ,illustrated with ,plates and   
,geological ,sections4 ,,new ,,edition1 
,,revised ,,and ,,much ,,enlarged1 by   
the addition of new matter and new      
,illustrations1 etc4 #abmo1 cloth1      
#a4be4       ,this edition contains over
 one hundred pages of entirely new      
matter1 from the pen of ,hugh ,miller4  
,it contains1 also1 several             
additional new plates and cuts1 the old 
plates re-engraved and      improved1   
and an ,appendix of new ,notes4         
,it is withal one of the most beautiful 
specimens of ,english      composition  
to be found1 conveying information on a 
most difficult      and profound        
science1 in a style at once novel1      
pleasing1 and      elegant4--,,dr4      
,,sprague--,albany ,spectator4   ,,the  
,,footprints ,,of ,,the ,,creator2 or1  
the ,asterolepsis of ,stromness1 with   
numerous ,illustrations4 ,with a ,memoir
 of the ,author1 by ,,louis ,,agassiz4  
#abmo1 cloth1 #a4jj4       ,,dr4        

,,buckland said he would give his left  
hand to possess such      power of      
description as this man4   ,,testimony  
,,of ,,the ,,rocks2 or1 ,geology in its 
,bearings on the two ,theologies1       
,natural and ,revealed4 ,thou shalt be  
in league with the stones of the        
field4--,job4 ,with numerous elegant    
,illustrations4 ,one volume1 royal      
#abmo1 cloth1 #a4be4       ,this is the 
largest and most comprehensive          
,geological ,work that the              
distinguished author has yet published4 
,it exhibits the profound      learning1
 the felicitous style1 and the          
scientific perception1      which       
characterize his former works1 while it 
embraces the latest      results of     
geological discovery4 ,but the great    
charm of the book      lies in those    
passages of glowing eloquence1 in which1
 having      spread out his facts1 the  
author proceeds to make deductions from 
them of the most striking and exciting  
character4 ,the work is      profusely  

illustrated by engravings executed at   
,paris1 in the      highest style of    
,french art4   ,,the ,,cruise ,,of ,,the
 ,,betsey2 or1 a ,summer ,ramble among  
the ,fossiliferous ,deposits of the     
,hebrides4 ,with ,rambles of a          
,geologist2 or1 ,ten ,thousand ,miles   
over the ,fossiliferous ,deposits of    
,scotland4 #abmo1 cloth1 #a4be4         
,nothing need be said of it save that it
 possesses the same      fascination for
 the reader that characterizes the      
author's other      works4   ,,my       
,,schools ,,and ,,schoolmasters2 or1 the
 ,story of my ,education4 ,,an          
,,autobiography4 ,with a full-length    
,portrait of the ,author4 #abmo1 cloth1 
#a4be4       ,this is a personal        
narrative1 of a deeply interesting and  
instructive character1 concerning one of
 the most remarkable men of      the    
age4   ,,my ,,first ,,impressions ,,of  
,,england ,,and ,,its ,,people4 ,with a 
fine ,engraving of the author4 #abmo1   
cloth1 #a4jj4       -- ,a very          

instructive book of travels1 presenting 
the most perfectly      life-like views 
of ,england and its people to be found  
in any language4       -- ,the above six
 volumes are furnished in sets1 printed 
and bound      in uniform style3 viz41  
,,hugh ,,miller',s ,,works1 ,six        
,volumes4 ,elegant embossed cloth1      
#g4jj1 library sheep1 #h4jj2 half calf1 
#ab4jj2 antique1 #ab4jj4   ,,macaulay   
,,on ,,scotland4 ,a ,critique1 from the 
,witness4 #afmo1 flexible cloth1 #be    
cts4     ,,gould ,,and ,,lincoln1  #ei  
,,washington ,,street1 ,,boston4  ,would
 call particular attention to the       
following valuable works described in   
their ,catalogue of ,publications1 viz43
   ,hugh ,miller's ,works4   ,bayne's   
,works4 ,walker's ,works4 ,miall's      
,works4 ,bungener's ,work4   ,annual of 
,scientific ,discovery4 ,knight's       
,knowledge is ,power4   ,krummacher's   
,suffering ,saviour4   ,banvard's       
,american ,histories4 ,the ,aimwell     
,stories4   ,newcomb's ,works4          

,tweedie's ,works4 ,chambers's ,works4  
,harris' ,works4   ,kitto's ,cyclopaedia
 of ,biblical ,literature4   ,mrs4      
,knight's ,life of ,montgomery4 ,kitto's
 ,history of ,palestin4   ,wheewell's   
,work4    ,wayland's ,works4            
,agassiz's ,works4  ,illustration       
,william's ,works4 ,guyot's ,works4     
,thompson's ,better ,land4 ,kimball's   
,heaven4 ,valuable ,works on ,missions4 
,haven's ,mental ,philosophy4           
,buchanan's ,modern ,atheism4           
,cruden's ,condensed ,concordance4      
,eadie's ,analytical ,concordance4      
,the ,psalmist3 ,a ,collection of       
,hymns4   ,valuable ,school ,books4     
,works for ,sabbath ,schools4   ,memoir 
of ,amos ,lawrence4   ,poetical ,works  
of ,milton1 ,cowpar1 ,scott4 ,elegant   
,miniature ,volumes4   ,arvine's        
,cyolopaedia of ,anecdotes4   ,ripley's 
,notes on ,gospels1 ,acts1 and ,romans4 
,sprague's ,european ,celebrities4      
,marsh's ,camel and the ,hallig4        
,roget's ,thesaurus of ,english ,words4 

,hackett's ,notes on ,acts4             
,m',whorter's ,yahveh ,christ4          
,siebold and ,stannius's ,comparative   
,anatomy4 ,marco's ,geological ,map1    
,u4,s4   ,religious and ,miscellaneous  
,works4   ,works in the various         
,departments of ,literature1 ,science   
and ,art4