NATURAL HISTORY. 



409 



miles in a northerly'direction, and 

 I could observe no rock on our 

 way but the trap formation. On 

 crossing the river Bush at the vil- 

 lage called Buslmiills, the country 

 begins gradually to rise, and we 

 descry about tAvo miles before us 

 a ridge of considerable height., 

 seeming to tenuinate quite abrupt- 

 ly on the other side. What we 

 perceive is the land side of the 

 precipice of the Giant's Causeway. 

 It seems to have been a hill of 

 basalt, with nearly perpendicular 

 columnar concretions, cut in two, 

 as it were, by a vertical section, 

 and the half of the hill ncKt the 

 sea carried away. On getting in 

 front of this precipice, which you 

 do by a pass on the west side of it, 

 a most stupendous scene presents 

 itself. The precipice, extending 

 for a mile or two along the shore, 

 is in many places quite perpendi- 

 cular, and often 350 and 400 feet 

 high, consisting of pure columnar 

 basalt, some of the columns 50 

 feet in perpendicular height, 

 straight and smooth as if polished 

 with a chisel. In other parts the 

 columns are smaller, inclined, or 

 bent } and a less length of them 

 strikes the eye. From tiie bottom 

 of this precipice issues, with a 

 gentle slope of about 1 in 30 to- 

 wards the sea, an immense and 

 surprising pavement, as it were, 

 consisting of the upper ends of 

 the fragments of vertical columns 

 of basalt that have been left when 

 the seaward half of the basaltic 

 hill was carried off. The ends of 

 these columns are in general 15 or 

 20 inches in diameter, some of 

 them of three sides, some four, 

 five, six, seven, eight, or even 

 nine. Five and six sides seem to 

 prevail most. From the bottom 



of the precipice to the sea at low 

 water along this pavement or 

 causeway, which, from the arti- 

 ficial appearance it puts on, has, 

 doubtless, in a rude age, given 

 name to the place, is a length of 

 730 feet. It has been observed to 

 proceed into the ocean as far as 

 can be traced by the eye in a calm 

 and clear day. To any person 

 Avho has seen both this place and 

 StafiFa, the idea naturally enough 

 suggests itself that they are parts 

 of the same once continuous im- 

 mense bed of columnar basalt. 

 There are properly three pave- 

 ments proceeding into the sea, 

 distinguished by the names of the 

 Great Causeway, the Middle 

 Causeway, and the West Cause- 

 way. These are three large gently 

 sloping ridges of the ends of ba- 

 saltic columns, with depressions 

 between them, covered with large 

 blocks or masses, that seem to 

 have from time to time been de- 

 tached, and rolled from the preci- 

 pice. I had no opportunity of 

 perceiving with what rocks the 

 basalt of the Giant's Causeway is 

 connected. I am told conchoidal 

 white lime-stone meets it on both 

 the east and west sides. There is 

 in one place near the east side of 

 the Great Causeway a green-stone 

 vein eight or ten feet wide inter- 

 secting the basalt from north-west 

 to south-east. 



There was now pointed out to 

 us by the guides a singular enough 

 and curious phenomenon, and 

 which is particularly interesting, 

 as it has been thought by those 

 who hold the igneous origin of 

 basalt to be a confirmation of their 

 doctrine. Nearly opposite to the 

 West Causeway, and within about 

 80 feet of the top of the cliff, is 



found 



