president's address. 75 



fortress itself is built of sandstone, but it is placed upon a bed 

 of basalt. On the nortli-west side the basaltic columns rise 

 with much regularity, springing round the base of Lilburne's 

 Tower in such regularity that they appear like sentinels of 

 stone. These basaltic prisms are both larger and finer than 

 any at the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. The scenery on the 

 north and east sides of the little peninsula, on which the castle 

 is built, is exceedingly grand and impressive. The tempestuous 

 winds, Avhen blowing from the east, drive the foamy surges up 

 the moist and darkened rocks, and render the place a scene of 

 melancholy and desolation. There are perhaps few spots in the 

 world where the various emotions of fear, of awe, and of wonder, 

 are more immediately raised than at the " Rumblechurn," when 

 viewed from the castle walls in a north-easterly gale. The 

 only sounds that prevail are the whistling of the blast, or the 

 dashing of the agitated waters, striving to climb the slimy 

 precipices around, which, as they recede, die away in hollow 

 and unearthly murmurs. The head grows giddy whilst con- 

 templating this perpetual struggle of the elements, and it soon 

 becomes a relief to withdraw the sight from the dark abyss, 

 and gaze on those stupendous remains [of a fortress] which 

 was erected here, as a protection against the aggression of man. 

 The site was as well adapted for defence as it was for seclusion. 

 It could scarcely have ever been intended for a residence. The 

 barmekin, or enclosure, is unusually spacious, and was capable of 

 containing a large number of cattle. On the first view of the 

 two large towers of entrance, we are struck with the unusual 

 vastness of their proportions. They form a keep in themselves 

 larger than that of the same age at Dudley in Worcestershire, 

 each of them loftier and broader than any single round tower 

 that I am acquainted with, except the Eagle Tower at Car- 

 narvon. There is nothing unusual in the internal arrangements ; 

 but two features deserve notice. The ashlars are so much larger 

 than is common to the period, that they would be apt to lead 

 an observer astray, unless he carefully connected them with the 

 minor architectural details in various parts of the building. 

 When the headings of the doors and windows, the recesses and 



