MINERlLOGy. 359 



fiction of its truth. It is not now general : there arc Mlntfralogy of 

 several proprietors in different districts, who have eman- Shetland, 

 cipated their tenants ; but still it is in soyie places car- 

 ried on, and prevents rny giving unqualified praise to a 

 people, among whom I met with the greatest hospitality 

 nnd kindness. 



The valley terminates irt lofty cliffs of red granite. 

 The boat waited for us at a small beach, covered with 

 granitic sand, over which two yast granitic rocks impend, 

 which formed a grand, but rugged vista of naked rock, 

 as vvcput off shore. 



Arrive again at Hillswick-voe. Walk to Hillswick- 

 ness, a promontory chiefly composed of silvery-coloured 

 micaceous schistus, containing immense quantities of 

 garnets, of a very large size : those that were in the up- 

 per layers were much decomposed; but below some of 

 them were complete, and finely crystallized. On the 

 west side, this bold headland is perfectly precipitous; 

 but on the east side, in one place, it slopes toward the 

 shore. At this slope, observe a vein of a light-green 

 stone, (probably schistose talc), traversing gneiss. This 

 vein contains most beautiful specimens of common acty- 

 nolite, some pieces in fibres, others in pretty distinct six- 

 sided prisms; in some cases approaching in lustre to 

 glassy actynolite. The actynolite is imbedded in talc, 

 and was found mixed with steatite. The serpentine is 

 called kleber by the natives, who use it as an excellent 

 substitute for metallic oxides in ointnients. They apply 

 this ointment to burns with success. Near this place^ 

 find black hornblende rock of great hardness ; sienite, 

 in one place, containing a large mass of silky-white fel- 

 spar. A reddish-coloured hornstone-porphyry, in round- 

 ed masses, was scattered on the shore. Observe great 

 veins of granite in some places, traversing the micaceous 

 rocks. As we approach the junction of this promontory 

 with the Mainland, gneiss is found succeeding the mica- 

 ceous schistus. Some grand pillars are detached by the 

 fury of the Atlantic from the sides of this ness ; the 

 height of these is equal to that of the adjacent cliffs, 

 which impend so over their bases, as to impress the spec- 

 Ccc 2 tator 



