8 IONA. ANTIQUITIES. 



country is not practically known; however brief that 

 account must, from the nature of this work, be made. 



Were I to omit all notice of the antiquities of this island, 

 the blank might appear to result from negligence, or from 

 a want of proper curiosity: yet the subject has been 

 nearly exhausted by numerous writers, and scarcely admits 

 of revival, even for the purpose of relieving the barrenness 

 of that which forms the principal feature of these volumes. 

 It is pleasing, in the meantime, to see the effect whicjh 

 these writings, and the increased diffusion of a regard 

 for the arts, have produced, in exciting a decent attention 

 to the preservation of monuments which may rather be 

 considered as historical, than as works of art. They are 

 no longer degraded to the purposes of stabling for cattle, 

 nor dilapidated for the erection of cottages for the in- 

 habitants. 



It is difficult to conjecture whether there are any 

 remains so ancient as the time of St- Columba. If there 

 are any such, they are probably to be found among the 

 monumental stones : and among the crowd of those which 

 are mixed together, of all ages, and in different styles, 

 of which many have also been removed and again re- 

 placed for purposes of recent interment, it would be 

 impossible to distinguish those of high antiquity, deficient 

 as they probably are both in sculpture and inscriptions. 

 To search for such remains among the buildings, appears 

 useless ; since the state of society in these regions, in the 

 middle of the sixth century when Columba landed, must 

 have rendered the early settlers incapable of erecting 

 permanent works in stone and lime ; the use of 

 which was an improvement belonging to much later 

 times. The original abbey, improperly so called, (since 

 the introduction of monastic regimen was long pos- 

 terior to the time of Columba,) appears to have been: 



