On Natural Terraces on the Eildon Hills. 



207 



XXV. — On some Objections to the Theory of attributing the 

 Natural Terraces on the Eildon Hills to the action of water. 

 By J. E. Bowman, F.L.S. # F.G.S. 



My attention having been directed, during the late meet- 

 ing of the British Association at Glasgow, to an account of a 

 series of very interesting natural Terraces on the hills round 

 Galashiels in Selkirkshire, in a late Number of Chambers's 

 Edinburgh Journal *, I took the opportunity of returning 

 through that district to ascertain, by personal inspection, 

 how far they agreed with the description. As my time was 

 limited, I did not attempt a detailed examination, and was 

 unprovided with any instruments for verifying the relative 

 heights and levels of the terraces, so circumstantially given 

 in the above article. As that valuable publication is in every 

 one's hands, I shall at once refer to the article in question, 

 merely saying, that my own observations will be much better 

 understood if the reader will previously consult it ; that the 

 number of the terraces is sixteen, and that they run along 

 the sides of many of the hills round Galashiels, Melrose, 

 Abbotsford, &c, in perfectly horizontal lines, and parallel to 

 each other ; and are, in the opinion of their discoverer, so 

 many different ancient beaches or land-levels, at which the 

 sea must successively have stood for long periods. The 

 staple of the article is from Mr. Kemp's own notes ; and I 

 am satisfied, from the opinion I formed of his ability, geolo- 

 gical knowledge, love of truth and unpretending diffidence, 

 that full reliance may be placed upon what he has so care- 

 fully and perseveringly worked out. I regret that I could 

 not altogether agree w ith his conclusions ; and I offer the fol- 

 lowing observations with considerable diffidence, because I 

 had only a single opportunity, and that a hurried one, of 

 seeing a small part of the appearances he has so repeatedly 

 and attentively studied. Having seen the Parallel Roads of 

 Glen Roy some years ago, I was naturally led, from the de- 

 scription of these terraces, to expect something of the same 

 appearance and character; though a moment's reflection 

 w r ould have convinced me, that had this been the case, they 

 would long ago have attracted general notice, and could not 

 have escaped the searching eye of Sir Walter Scott, from 

 whose windows at Abbotsford, the Eildon hills, on w hich 

 some of the clearest examples occur, form a prominent fea- 

 ture of the scenery f. The fact is, that neither when viewed 



* No. 444, for 1st August, 1840. 



f Not wishing to trust to my own recollections, I wrote to an old and 

 talented friend, (J. F. M. Dovaston, Esq. M.A., West Felton, Shropshire,) 

 whose intimate acquaintance with, and enthusiastic admiration of the 



