12 STAFFA. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



drawing comparisons between the structure of StafFa and 

 works of art, this bed represents an appropriate member 

 in architecture; being the entablature required to give 

 their due office to the columns which form the middle 

 range of the front. 



Quitting Mackinnon's cave and proceeding round the 

 western side of the island, the order and continuity of 

 the beds disappear, and are replaced by a confused mix- 

 ture of the different varieties of trap, which it would 

 be both tedious and useless to detail minutely; since 

 in addition to the small geological interest which they 

 possess, they present very little picturesque beauty. The 

 most remarkable feature on this side of the island is an 

 irregular bay immediately following the cave above named ; 

 which contains several ranges of columns, neither very 

 striking for length or regularity, and variously inter- 

 mixed with amorphous basalt, conglomerate, and amyg- 

 daloidal rocks. The further point of this bay presents 

 two ranges of columns with a mass of amorphous rock 

 interposed. Two hollows, scarcely deserving the name 

 of caves, may here be seen ; and I may remark, that all 

 the columns which occur on this side are in an erect 

 position. The northern end of the island becomes low 

 and nearly even with the water, but is chiefly columnar. 

 After this the cliffs rise once more into vertical and 

 broken faces composed of the different non-columnar 

 varieties already described. There are five small caves 

 in that part of the cliff which looks toward the north- 

 east; remarkable for nothing but the noise, resembling 

 heavy and distant discharges of ordnance, which they 

 make when the surge breaks into them. Immediately 

 after this point we return to the place from which the 

 description commenced. 



This general account of StafFa would be considered 

 incomplete were I to omit those caves on which its cele- 

 brity is chiefly founded, and by which it is distinguished 

 from most of the basaltic islands in this sea. That they 



