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guage signifying staff or pillar, from which 
the eat Staffa can be derived. Its Gaelic 
name is Slothfuidh, literally expressing a 
surf beneath. It seems a mere stretch of the 
imagination in calling the wonderful cave at 
Stafia, Fingal’s Cave. 
«© The father of Ossian, in the English 
translation of his poems, is styled Fingal ; 
in Gaelic, he is called Fhion, or the fair. 
«¢ When Fingal’s Cave is spoken of in the 
Erse language, it is called, in the genitive 
case, Uamh Inn, Fhion’s Cave; it bears also 
another name, Uamh Bhinn, the melodious 
cave. 
«« After we had doubled the point of Go- 
metra, the tide turned against us, and the 
wind in some degrce got up, which occasion- 
ed waves and hard labour for the rowers ; 
but when we came to Staffla not a breath of 
wind blew. ’ 
glass, which enabled the boat to get quite 
close to the shore, tacking continually 
amongst innumerable small rocks separate 
from Stafla, lying on the west side of it, 
Every length the boat made, new wonders 
came in view. On the north-west point, 
yises to a great height a small promontory, 
almost perpendicular from the sea to its 
summit. The base of this promontory ts 
rough and irregular for perhaps more than 
half its height, and where the uneven rock 
ends, the most beautiful perfect uniform 
pillars rest upon it, in 2 convex semi-circle ; 
and were it not for their stupendous appear- 
ance, it might be thought that the finest sta- 
tuary ever existing had stretched his chisel 
powers beyond human art in forming them. 
«© Advancing from this beautiful convex 
circle of pillars, ] observed creeks and caves, 
and perpendicular rocks of great variety ; 
ut when I came within sight of the very 
regular pillars and elevated dome over the 
great caves, I was in an extasy. ; : 
«¢ Conceive, if you can, an infinity of 
small pillars, thrown together in every direc- 
tion ata very considerable height from the eye, 
bearing the resemblance of architecture, exc- 
¢uted in the most masterly style, and highly 
beautified by various tints made by time and 
weather, composing an irregular and continu- 
ed facade to magnificent domes, from which 
descend perpendicular, compact, smooth, 
prismatic pillars, some resting (particularly 
those at the Boat Cave, and on the west 
side of Fingal’s Cave) on rough, irregular, 
sound masses of basaltes washed by the sea. 
Others morticed in, the angles of stumps of 
pillars once entire, the uppermost joins of 
which have separated from the main mass of 
pillars forming the island. 5 
«¢ Tis said that the Boat Cave is much 
larger than Fingal’s, but it is very little 
known, owing to ideal or real danger in going 
into it. The mouth of itis far from striking 
or beautiful, its form somewhat resembling 
a’barnedoor ; but the dorne or outside roof, 
resting on the perpendicular prisms, with 
the symmetry of the pillars, ranged in a com- 
BRITISH TOPOGRAHPY AND ANTIQUITIES. 
The sea was as smooth as ~ 
eet form all along that part of Staffa, are 
eyond all description beautiful, even more 
so, if possible, than the outward parts of 
Fingal’s Cave. But the striking coup d’wil © 
of them is lost to all who approach Staffa — 
by ihe south-east side of it; and it is not 
seen at all, if the boatmen do not choose to 
be at the trouble of rowing to the west. 
«© What is very uncommon, and which ~ 
gives avery singular beauty to the south part — 
of Staffa, is, that from the commencement of — 
its grand dome or crown, on the west side of — 
it, till near the landing place for cattle on the 
east side, not a fallen or loose piece of rock 
or rmbbish of any kind is seen. 
«* T was almost overcome with astonish- 
ment and delight, on viewing the parts 
around the outside of the Boat Cave ; and {£ 
remained in silent amazement at every suc- 
ceeding object that met my eye, till I came 
to the entrance into Fingal’s cave, which [ — 
did not perceive till I was nearly close to it, 
occasioned (as we were rowing very near the 
shore) by a round projection of most beauti- 
ful compact prisms, descending from the 
magnificent crown or dome of small pillars 
in every direction (beautified as before-men- 
tioned, by the softest mellowest tints that — 
time and weather protiuce) to a solid rough” 
base of basaltes. { 
«¢ When I faced the mouth of the cave, | 
what I could see of the inside, and what I © 
gazed at on the outside, made my blood thrill — 
throngh every vein; but when I got within 
it I forgot the world and every thing it con-— 
tains. The omnipotence of the Deity filled 
my soul. I was lost in wonder, gratitude, 
and praise. My nerves were so wound up, — 
that the smallest sound distracted me. Never 
shall I forget the sublime heaven-like sensa+_ 
tions with which Fingal’s Cave inspired me, — 
«¢ From the grand works of nature, my 
mind has often been raised in adoration to” 
the Author of them, and they have been to 
me the best of sermons ; but Stafla producs 
ed the highest pitch of solemn, pious, enthu-— 
siastic sensations, I ever felt, or ever can feel, 
in this my house of clay.” 
‘* Tt has not been longer than twenty-eight 
or twenty-nine years since the island of 
Stafla has been noticed as an object of cu- 
riosity ; for, previous to the year 1770, it 
was avoided rather than sought after. It 
does not lie in the direct course, going 
through the sound of I-Colomb-Kill, from 
the south to the north; nor indeed is it in 
the way from one island of the Hebrides to 
another, but stands in the middle of an 
extensive bay, formed by islands, in the 
Atlantic, and completely open on the south- 
west to that ocean; and from that point of 
the compass Staila bears the storms and 
tempests from America, for not a footof land 
hes directly between it and that continent, 
This may be the reason why such heavy seas 
are commonly around Staffa, and which 
cause it to be avoided by sea-faring people: 
——Necessity never obliges any vessel tg 
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