31 



To the weftward of Ballycadle I faw only one Dyke. On the eafl; 

 fide of Kcnbaan Point, a rock emerges from the water, which I have 

 no doubt is part of a Dyke, from the appearance it made ; and as I 

 approached it, I perceived it was formed of horizontal prifms : here too 

 a new feature occurred, common indeed in the Dykes farther eaftward, 

 but which I had not obferved in any of thofe I had yet examined j. 

 the centre and fides of this one were conftrufted diiferently, the prifms 

 in the centre being larger than thofe in the fides, and all very neat, 

 the grain too probably, as in other cafes, alfo differed, but I was pre- 

 cluded from examining any of the circumftances which attended this 

 curious little folitary rock, by the violent furf which then broke upon it. 



Hitherto the precipices cut through by the Whynn Dykes, and the 

 rocks from among which they foraetimes emerge, were all bafalt, uni- 

 formly ftratified, but the accumulation of thefe ftrala, after regularly 

 dipping, immerges beneath the fea to the weftward of Baliycaftle, and 

 a new fyftem of materials arifes at the end of the flrand to the eaft- 

 ward, to wit, alternate ftrata of freeftone and coal ; thefe are cut through 

 exaftly in^the fame manner the bafalt ftrata were, by vertical Whynn 

 Dykes, which all rua into the fea, acrofs the beach at the foot of 

 the precipice; 



The firft of thefe is about two miles from Ballycaftle, and though a 

 rude imperfeft one, it is not to be overlooked ; the black or dairk blue 

 of the bafalt being ftrongly contrafted with the brown colour of the 

 freeftone it paffes through on the beach ; here the high road runs clofe 

 under the precipice, and affords a good opportunity to examine the con- 

 tafts of the bafalt Dyke with the freeftone it cuts through. 



The next Dyke, fome hundred yards farther eaft, is more perfeft, 

 and fo acceflible on the beach, that its Angular conftruftion can be ex- 

 amined without any trouble ; it is of the fame breadth with moft of the 

 others, that is, about twelve feet ; it more accurately refembles a 

 quay than any of them, its Airface is flat arid its fides perpendi- 

 cular, it is divided in its whole length by three right lines one bifefbing 



it 



