PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 171 



inaccessible it must have been, but that nature's cunning hand had formed a stairs of 

 most singular contrivance. The constant dripping of the stalactic matter upon this 

 inclined surface, from fissures in the roof, had gradually formed lumps or nodules 

 upon it, from four to five inches in diameter, thus forming steps or a kind of natural 

 ladder, rather of a dangerous description, the entire surface and its lumps being 

 equally slippery with those we had previously passed over. Up this ascent some 

 of our guides were clambering, whilst one of them, who had gained the summit, 

 stood in the top aperture with a lighted candle in his hand, and contributed to 

 spread the " dim religious light," such as our candles afforded, over the grotesque 

 parts of this singular scene. The chill of the air in the Cave we now found consi- 

 derably increased, and we had long lost the cheering light of the day, and our 

 candles afforded but a very moderate portion, barely so much as was necessary for 

 our purpose, 



u Our labour of ascending now commenced ; when lookers on, it appeared difficult, 

 but when the attempt was made we found it to be really so. The heads of the 

 nodules being round, and wet with damp slime, it required some care to preserve 

 our footing and prevent a fall which would have been fatal. After labouring up 

 about thirty feet (?) we reached the summit, where our guide stood, dirty and 

 fatigued, our curiosity on full stretch to see what farther awaited us. 



" The entrance to this portion of the Cave (the third chamber) is low and narrow, 

 but, like the others, rude and massive. As all our guides, with the exception of him 

 who stood in this aperture, had passed on, we were left in comparative darkness. 

 Picture to yourself our astonishment on passing this narrow entrance, that seemed 

 to promise but fresh fatigues and labour, to see expanding before us a chamber of 

 great extent, filled with objects that, to us, were both new and extraordinary. The 

 guides who had left us at the stairs, whilst we were ascending, had proceeded to 

 this chamber, and placed themselves with lights at various points, by which the 

 different parts were made at once visible, but indistinctly so. Prepared as our 

 minds were, both by report and the conversation of our guides, for this exhibition, 

 the ideas we had formed of it still left ample room for an increase of pleasure on 

 viewing the reality. From the narrow entrance of about six feet in width, the 

 chamber gradually widened to a considerable breadth [which on measuring, Mr. 

 Robertson found to be seventy-four feet in its widest diameter, and fifty-two feet 

 in the direction of the entrance straightforward, and nearly at right angles to the 

 former], 



" As far as we could see, the roof, or ceiling, appeared flat, but the surface of the 

 floor was very unequal, in some parts approaching the roof to within six feet, and 

 at others probably about eighteen feet from it. The constant dripping of calca- 

 reous matter from the roof had added considerably to the natural irregularity of 

 the floor, for the calcareous matter had formed large protuberances and stalagmites 

 of singular forms upon its surface, some of these in their appearance approached 

 nearly to works of art [of one of them Mr. Robertson made a sketch]. From the 

 ceiling numerous stalactic pipes descended, constantly lengthening, and from their 

 ends fell drops of calcareous matter, which formed the stalagmites mentioned above; 

 and as they gradually approached each other, in time will be formed, by this simple 

 operation of nature, beautiful pillars supporting the roof, and as durable as the rocks 

 themselves. 



" Our guides had now ascended a huge ledge of rock, which nearly terminated, but 

 which still appeared to stretch out to an uncertain distance. Under them was a 

 deep pit nearly filled with irregular masses of rock, and in front rose up, uniting 

 with the roof, a magnificent pillar of a white material resembling marble ; it is of 

 great size, and quite insulated. The light of all the candles was thrown by the 

 guides upon this interesting object, and the depth of shade around it gave it full 

 relief. Our guides called this pillar the Market Cross. On closer examination we 

 found it composed of a number of pipes, intermixed with frost-work in a beautiful 

 manner. Its base spread out in a number of wave-like torus mouldings, as if it had 

 originally been of soft material, and that its own weight had produced that pillowy 

 soft appearance. Without any great stretch of the imagination, it may be com- 

 pared to a fine Gothic pillar, with its base and capital, placed by the hand of art to 

 support this immense ceiling. The pillar appeared to rise from the pit to the 



