NORTHEEN SCOTLAND. 



351 



and rising like a temple above a foundation of rock, in which are embedded the 

 petrified remains of a forest of pines. The sands at the foot of this Scuir 

 occasionally give forth a long-drawn musical sound when walked upon — a 

 phenomenon similar to what ma}^ be witnessed on some beaches of Pomerania, in 

 the desert of Atacama, and on the slopes of Mount Sinai.* 



The large island of Mull, separated by the Sound of Mull and the Firth of 

 Lome from the mainland of Argyll, is almost wholly formed of Tolcanic rocks, 

 which occasionally rise in regular steps. Numerous rivulets, born in the interior 

 of the island, and fed by its plentiful moisture, hasten towards the sea, and form 

 fcgming cataracts on their onward course. Ben More (3,172 feet), the great 



Fig. 175. — The Exterior of Fixgal's Cave. 



^_,=,is#P^ 



mountain of the isLmd, as well as the principal summits along the Sound of 

 Mull, consists of trap ; but the south-western arm of the island terminates in 

 an enormous promontory of granite, the quarries on the face of which look like 

 mere scratches when seen from afar. On the western side of Mull hes the famous 

 island of Staffa, whose cave, discovered, as it were, by Sir Joseph Banks in 1772, 

 has been dedicated by the admirers of Ossian to Fingal. This cavern deservedly 

 ranks amongst the wonders of the world. The island rises to a height of about 

 150 feet. Its surface is covered with luxuriant grass, and on all sides it is 

 bounded by cliffs of columnar basalt. On turning round a cape we suddenly 

 * Hugh Miller, " Summer Rambles among the Hebrides." 



