OF THE EARTH^S SURFACE. 199 



the estuary lies, I began to suspect that the production of 

 these effects may have been influenced by that valley ; for 

 though the torrent had sufficient power to disregard Corstor- 

 phine Hill, it may have yielded in some degree to greater emi- 

 nences. If this law were established, we should be enabled 

 better to understand these operations, by having their stupen- 

 dous and unbounded magnitude reduced within tangible 

 limits. I became, therefore, anxious to examine the facts 

 which lay beyond the influence of this valley, where the indi- 

 cation of actions of a similar nature might be found. I recol- 

 lected having seen some ridges of a diluvian character in the 

 country immediately behind the promontory of Fast Castle in 

 Berwickshire ; and as this constitutes one of the southern 

 flanks of the mouth of the estuary, I expected that some no- 

 velty in point of direction might here occur, and I was not 

 disappointed ; for I here met with a set of very distinct dilu- 

 vian ridges, called Lowry's Knolls, the direction of which lies, 

 by true bearings, west 35" north ; so that they form an 

 angle of no less than forty-five degrees with the general di- 

 rection of the estuary, such at least as it occurs in East and Mid 

 Lothian. As this new direction is assumed by the stream im- 

 mediately on finding itself at liberty, we must suppose that the 

 water, in this last-mentioned course, follows either the main di- 

 rection, or approaches nearer to it than it did in the estuary. 

 More observations are now much to be desired. With a view 

 to them, and in consequence of a recollection which led me to 

 suppose, that the Castle of Stirling was possessed of a diluvian 

 character, I have (since this paper was read) made a little ex- 

 cursion to that place. 



I discovered, however, that the elongation from Stirlino- 

 Castle is entirely composed of solid whinstone, consequently 



that 



