the HIGHLANDS of SCOTLAND. 5 



count of Creek Faterick, there termed a volcanic hill near Invernefs, 

 in a letter from Thomas West, Efq; to Mr Lane, F. R. S. 

 in which the writer does not hefitate to pronounce this hill an 

 extinguiftied volcano ; and having fent fpecimens of the burnt 

 matter for the infpecflion of the Royal Society, the Secretary 

 fubjoins a note to the paper, intimating, that " thefe fpecimens 

 " having been examined by fome of the Members well ac- 

 " quainted with volcanic produdions, were by them judged to 

 " be real lava." Such was likewife the opinion of a very inge- 

 nious Member of this Society, the late Andrew Crosbie, Efq; 

 who, in an account which he gave to the Philofophical Society 

 of Edinburgh in 1780, offered fome curious conjedlures with 

 regard to the procefs of nature, by which he fuppofed the whole 

 of this hill to have been thrown up from the bottom of the fea 

 by the operation of intefline fire. 



The perufal of Mr Williams's pamphlet and of Dr Ander- 

 son's account, as well as thofe differing opinions I have men- 

 tioned, excited my curiofity, in a journey I made to Invernefs- 

 fhire in autumn 1782, to examine, with fome attention, fuch of 

 the hills mentioned by Mr Williams as lie in that country; 

 and I now propofe to lay before this Society the refult of that 

 examination, which, however, I confine chiefly to Craig-Phad- 

 rick, as that which I have moft minutely furveyed. 



Craig-Phadrick is a fmall conical hill, which forms the 

 eaftern extremity of that ridge of mountains which bounds 

 Loch-Nefs upon the north-weft fide. It is fituate about a mile 

 to the north of Invernefs, and commands an extenfive profpedt 

 of both fides of the Murray frith, to the diftance of above forty 

 miles. It is acceffible on two different quarters ; on the weft 

 by a narrow but level ridge, which joins it to the chain of hills 

 upon Loch-Nefs ; and on the fouth-eaft, by an eafy afcent from 

 the high ground above the town of Invernefs. When feen 

 from the oppofite heights, it appears pretty much of a conical 

 .figure ; the top cut off, forming a level furface, bounded at 



each 



