RAMBLES OP A GEOLOGIST. 273 



terrestrial and celestial globes. I was told it was forbidden 

 ground to approach the premises of Durn ; but I could not 

 resist the temptation of visiting the spot where the young 

 philosopher had shown such early proofs of his genius ; and 

 I accordingly paid the forfeit of an impertinent, for the gen- 

 tleman who resides there caught the prowler, and in genteel 

 terms bade her go about her business, and never return. How 

 ungracious ! She was doing no harm." 



The morning arose as gloomily as the evening had fallen ; 

 and I walked on in the rain to Cullen, fully disposed to sym- 

 pathize by the way with the "hardy Byron," he of the 

 " Narrative," who, from his ill-luck in weather, went among 

 his sailors by the name of " Foul-weather Jack." In the 

 sandy bay of Cullen, where the road, after inflecting inland 

 for some five or six miles, comes again upon the sea, I found 

 the surf charging home in long white lines six waves deep, 



" Each steppiug -where his comrade stood, 

 The instant that he fell." 



The appearance was such as to impart no inadequate idea of 

 the vast attritive power of ocean in wearing down the land. 

 When pausing for a little abreast of the fishing village, par- 

 tially sheltered by an old boat, to mark the fierce turmoil, it 

 suddenly occurred to me, as the tempest weltered around 

 reef and skerry, and roared wildly, mile after mile, along the 

 beach, that the day and night were now just equal, and 

 that it was the customary equinoctial storm that had broken 

 out to accompany me on my journey. And so, calculating 

 on a few days more of it, instead of waiting on in the hope 

 of a fair afternoon to examine the outlier of Old Red which 

 occurs in the neighbourhood of Cullen, I was content to see 

 at a distance its mural-sided cliffs rising like broken walls 

 through the flat sand ; and, taking the road for Fochabers, 

 with the intention of leaving exploration till fairer weather 

 set in, I resolved on posting straight on, to join my relatives 



s 



