in Scotland and Parts of England. 253 



sandstone, pointed out by Sir Roderick Murchison, exhibits 

 striation from a point north of west. This pointing back to 

 a valley out of which a local glacier may have come, and the 

 gorge of which shews many moraine-like ridges, is perhaps 

 not a true case ; but if it be, the line of the striation is not 

 much out of conformity. Striation of north-westerly direction 

 is found in a valley near Loch Fleet, also at Invershin, and 

 along the road to Assynt. So also is it found in the valley 

 of the Shin, but with what I consider undoubted moraines, 

 shewing at least a subsequent local glaciation. 



I found only one example of remarkable divergence in 

 Sutherlandshire, beyond the instances of undoubted local 

 glaciation in Assynt, and this was in the valley in which 

 Loch Eribol lies. The sides of this valley are composed of 

 quartz rock, and the whole bears a great resemblance to the 

 Gairloch. The quartz is everywhere smoothed down to a 

 condition of the highest polish, excepting where some modern 

 fracturing has taken place ; and the striae on this fine surface 

 run between a point east of north, and one west of south, 

 being precisely the direction of the valley. The probability 

 is, however, that a glacier has descended this valley from the 

 bosoms of the great eminences in the Dearrie Forest. 



Far to the south of this district, in the valleys near the 

 western extremity of the Great Glen, we have seen that 

 there are markings, which Mr Maclaren has described as 

 having a direction from the interior of the country towards 

 the west coast ; in which respect they differ from those now 

 under our immediate notice. He particularly mentions some 

 on the south side of Loch Awe, about a mile west from Dal- 

 mally Inn, where there are two small crag-and-tail hills, with 

 stria3 from ENE., and masses of stones and soil to the WSW. 

 He also lays much force upon certain smooth ings at and 

 near Monessie, in Glen Spean, where the rough or protected 

 sides are clearly down the valley, or to the west. Now, in 

 several places connected with this valley, there are abraded 

 rocks, with the rough sides in the opposite direction. Mr 

 Milne Home has described one group at the opening of Loch 

 Treig, and another at the junction of Glen Fintec with Glen 

 Gluoy. I was with Mr Milne Floine when these examples 

 VOL. LIV. NO. CVIII. — APJUL 1853. S 



