450 BUTE. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



materials are, banks of coral sand, the clay and sand 

 produced from the wearing of the secondary strata, and 

 an accumulation of vegetable matter in a progress towards 

 the formation of peat, which is found in a portion of 

 marshy land that occupies a part of the flat. Were these 

 removed, the sea would again flow through the passage 

 and restore the insular character of the Garroch head. 



This last division, which I have already shown to 

 consist chiefly of trap, is characterized by a remarkable 

 disposition of ground. It is divided into a number of 

 parallel and straight narrow valleys, of which a principal 

 one traverses the entire extent of the promontory; the 

 whole of these being disposed in lines from north-west 

 to south-east, in a direction conforming to the general bear- 

 ings of the island. These valleys are separated by ridges 

 of the trap rock, of different lengths and elevations ; and 

 produce a very singular appearance when viewed from 

 a commanding position. The escarpements, with very 

 slight exceptions, lie in a prolonged line, and face the 

 north-east; while the declivities, inclined at angles va- 

 rying from ten to fifteen degrees, look to the south-west. 



The scenery of this part of the island, without being 

 strictly picturesque, is nevertheless pleasing, as well as 

 singular in character; while, in many places, the unex- 

 pected solitude of its deep recesses is accompanied by 

 a proportionate degree of grandeur in the elevation of 

 the high rocks by which they are bounded. These minor 

 scenes are however lost in the superior magnificence of 

 the view from Ben varagen, the highest summit of the 

 Garroch head; which extends over the whole compli- 

 cated region that forms the boundaries of the Clyde. A 

 few wooded and cultivated spots are seen in this division ; 

 but the higher parts, as might be imagined, are occupied 

 in pasture. 



The middle division of the island is, generally speaking, 

 in a state of cultivation, and is tolerably wooded; the 

 plantations of Mount Stewart forming a tract of rich 



