158 GARVELOCH ISLES. GEOLOGY. 



recluses who inhabited the island. Here also is found the 

 Clachan brath, which, like that of lona, the fishermen or 

 herdsmen appear in their occasional visits to preserve or 

 renew; although every visitor thinks himself bound to 

 contribute his efforts towards its destruction, and, with it, 

 that of the " great globe itself," whose existence is to 

 terminate at the same period. No patron saint now hovers 

 over these remains ; if ever indeed they had any other 

 patron than St. Columba. Ilachanu is at present unin- 

 habited, but there is a farm on Garveloch. 



THESE islands are interesting to a mineralogist from 

 the great variety of primary limestone which they present ; 

 to the geologist still more, both from the unexpected 

 occurrence of this substance, and from the important 

 resemblance which they bear to a very obscure part of the 

 composition of Isla. 



The incorrect position of these islands in the map of 

 Scotland, is such as to interfere with the line of bearing 

 of the strata, by which their form and position is actually 

 determined. As this line is of importance in a geological 

 view, not only as it affects the history of these, but as 

 it relates to the whole of the Schistose islands, their posi- 

 tion has here been reduced to that which is necessary 

 to maintain the correct linear direction of the strata as 

 indicated by the compass. 



The tendency of the elevated edges of the strata is 

 N. E. by N., as nearly as I could ascertain it, and there 

 seems but little deviation from this position in any part ; 

 the whole chain being extended in a line corresponding to 

 this. It will thus be seen that they conform in position 

 to those of Seil and of the northern end of Luing. The 

 dip of the strata sis to the eastward, and consequently 

 S. E. by E., and the angle of inclination to the horizon 

 varies from forty to fifty degrees; exceeding or falling 

 off from these extremes in particular places which are not 



