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Notice of Elevated Sea-Beaches. By Alan Stevenson, LL.B., 

 F.R. S. E., Civil Engineer. Communicated in a Letter to 

 Professor Jameson. 



Skerryvobe Lighthouse Works, 

 20 Miles Seaward of lona, 

 My Dear Sir, April 28. 1640. 



As you invited me, when I had the pleasure of seeing you 

 before I left Edinburgh for my summer expedition, to commu- 

 nicate (no matter how imperfectly) any observations which 

 might occur to me, or facts which might come under my notice 

 in my exile, I beg leave to trouble you with the accompanying 

 section of two ancient beaches in the Island of Mull, which 

 are situated not far from the quarries, the property of his 

 Grace the Duke of Argyle, that supply the materials for 

 Skerryvore Lighthouse. My attention was directed to this spot 

 by an intelligent person, Mr Charles Barclay, who is foreman 

 of our quarries, and who recognised in the spot to which the 

 sketch refers, a resemblance to some of the principal features 

 described by Captain Basil Hall, as having been observed by 

 him on the coast of Chili. This beach is in a district of the 

 parish of Bunessan, called the J^oss of Mull, about half a mile 

 NW. from the loch where we opened our quarries. The district 

 of the Boss is entirely composed of granite, which closely re- 

 sembles, both in its structure and the mode of its arrangement, 

 the celebrated granite of Peterhead ; and as it is in some places 

 tinged of a deep red, and but thinly and partially covered with 

 moss, it gives the whole coast a reddish appearance, from 

 which I believe it has acquired its name. The length of the 

 face of the lower of these two beaches is about 700 feet, and 

 its distance from the highest point reached by the tide is about 

 250 feet, while the level of its top is 25 feet above the highest 

 level of any tide that I could trace. What 1 suppose to be a 

 second beach, is less distinctly defined than the lower one, 

 and is situated fully 40 feet above the level of high water. It 

 is more extensive in its face-wall (if I may so speak) ; but I 

 did not take any measurement of its length. The heights in 

 the accompanying section were determined by actual measure- 

 ment with a spirit-level. 



