30 



diate ftratum, near fixty feet of. another variety of bafalt ; the lower- 

 mofl: of thefe ftrata, when produced weftward, dips, and at its inter- 

 feaion with the fea forms the Giant's Caufeway. 



This grand facade, together with the whole promontory, is as it were 

 cut down and bifefted by a vertical plane, on the weft fide of which 

 the promontory and all its ftrata have funk and fubfided about forty 

 feet, without any other fliake or difturbance, all the ftrata in the fub- 

 fided part ftill remaining accurately parallel to the permanent ftrata, and 

 proceeding weftward in their former direftion, only from points forty feet 



lower. 



An account of the variety, arrangement, and alternations of thefe ftrata, 

 fo completely difpbyed in the fuperb fece of this precipice, where nature 

 feems to have intended to exhibit to the philofopher the order in which 

 flie has dffpofed her materials, without putting him to the trouble of 

 penetrating into the bowels of the earth ; would lead me far beyond 

 the limits of a letter. How thefe ftrata, with their afcent, culmina- 

 tions, dip, and immerfions, have hitherto efcaped the obfervation of 

 naturalifts, is quite beyond my comprehenfion.* 



The two deprefilons farther eaft are much inferior to this ; I ftiall 

 only obferve that there is not the leaft appearance of crack or dif- 

 ruption, the ftrata (at Portmoon 8) on both fides of the depreflion are 

 all confolidated into one mafs. 



When fearching for Whynn Dykes upon our northern coaft, I was 

 obliged to omit about four miles of it lying between Bengore-Head and 

 Carrickarede, as being too diftant from Portrufti and Ballycaftle, where 

 I was ufed to take boat, and totally void of flielter, even for the 

 fmalleft craft. 



tain 



* I cannot avoid quoting a paffage from a late traveller, who feenis to po/Tefs two 

 qualities very necelTary in a naturalift, to wit, attentrnje ohjervatwn and freedom from fyf- 

 tem ; he fays, " no fubjefl is more interefting or ufeful than an examination of the in- 

 " tefline pofition of ftrata and veins ; in fhort, upon this is- founded all our knowledge 

 " of geology ; it is, however, attended with great labour and difficulty." (Jamefon's 

 Mineralogy of Scotland and Arran, page 6 1.) With US fuch an examination is attend- 

 «<i neither with labour nor difticulty. 



