Neighbourhood of the Giant's Caziseway^ &c, 371 



the visible prismatic form so much admired; this after- 

 wards breaks indifferently in all directions. 



To return to my subject : — Though the basalt septs in 

 mines in giMieral, and every one of our own whynn dykes 

 at Ballycastle, are attended by a depression of the strata 

 on one side ; yet those I have described at Bengore Head 

 are accomj^anied by nothing similar, except the one at the 

 Causeway; and proceeding further eastward, coasting this 

 promontory, we meet vv'ith three depressions of our strata, 

 where nothing like a whynn dyke is to be foui>d. 



The first is singular and beautiful ; it is near a mile east 

 from the Causeway, and a quarter of a mile beyond the 

 last dyke. The precipice here is uncommonly magnificent^ 

 its height more than 350 feet above the water ; and the 

 upper part of this, which Is accurately perpendicular and 

 extends half a mile on either side, is 150 feet. 



This whole face is composed of three strata, two of them 

 formed of superb basalt pillars 45 and 55 feet long, with 

 an intermediate stratum, near 60 feet, of another variety of 

 basalt ; the lowermost of these strata, when produced 

 westward, dips, and at its intersection with the sea forms 

 the Giant's Causeway. 



This grand facade, together with the whole promontory, 

 is as it were cut down and bisected by a vertical plane, ort 

 the west side of which the promontory and all its strata 

 have sunk and subsided about 40 feet, without any othei* 

 shake or disturbance, all the strata in the subsided part still 

 remaining accurately parallel to the permanent strata, and 

 proceeding westward in their former direction, only from 

 points 40 feet lower. 



An account of the variety, arrangement, and alternations 

 of these strata, so completely displayed in the superb face 

 of this precipice, where nature seems to have intended to 

 exhibit to the philosopher the order in which she has dis- 

 posed her materials, without putting him to the trouble of 

 penetrating into the bowels of the earth, would lead me 

 far beyond the limits of a letter. How these strata, with 

 their ascent, culminations, dip, and immersions, have hi*- 

 tlierto escaped the observation of naturalists is quite be- 

 yond my comprehension*. 



The two depressions further east are much inferior to 

 this } I shall only observe that there is not the least ap- 

 pearance 



♦ I cannot avoid quoting a passage from a late traveller, who seems to 

 possess two qualities very necessary in a naturalist, to wit, attentive observa^ 

 tian -jLud freedom Jrom st/stem. He says, " No subject is more interesting or 



A a 2 useful 



