408 . On the ROCKS in the 



lifbury Craig and Arthur's Seat appear perfectly familiar to us ; 

 there are phenomena belonging to both, however, of which, I 

 have no doubt, many are yet ignorant. That any* circumftance 

 of an interefting nature, mould remain unobferved, can only be 

 accounted for, by its,being taken for granted, that thefe confpi- 

 cuous objecls, having already undergone much critical examina- 

 tion, nothing farther remains to be noticed. This is an opi- 

 nion, which I mall prove in the fequel, to be without founda- 

 tion. 



Arthur'' s Seat and Salisbury Craig, are naturally the objects, 

 which firft attract the attention of the geological traveller, 

 on his arrival in Edinburgh 5 and to thefe places he is general- 

 ly conducted by fome one of our amateurs, when the favourite 

 theory is introduced, and each corroborative fact; dwelt upon, 

 with all the ufnal keennefs of theoretic difcuilion. This was the 

 ground which, in all probability, firft fuggefted the Theory of 

 Hutton ; and it was perhaps here, that his comprehenfive 

 mind originally laid the foundation, of the ftructure which 

 he afterwards fo fuccefsfully reared. But that theory, in 

 itfelf fo beautiful, and in many points fo perfect, I am very far 

 from embracing entirely. I am very far, indeed, from follow- 

 ing him through his formation and confolidation of ftrata, or 

 the tranfportation and arrangement of the materials, of which 

 they are compofed. There are other circumftances alfo, which, 

 though totally irreconcilable with any other hypothefis, are yet 

 but imperfectly explained by his. I particularly allude to the fin- 

 gular contortions, exhibited in what are termed Transition ftra- 

 ta, fo finely exemplified on the coaft of Berwickshire. I 

 wifhto carry my inductions, juft as far as facts will bear them 

 out. It is therefore, only in the regions of unftratified rocks, 

 or in their immediate vicinity, that I have as yet, been able to 



difcover 



