STATHAM — ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE SGILLY ISLES. 27 



body of Sir Cloudesley Shovel was washed ashore, after the dreadful 

 wreck of the " Association " and two other vessels on the 22nd Oct., 

 1705, when between 1,500 and 2,000 men perished miserably — there 

 is a remarkable group of rocks. As if to commemorate this terrible 

 disaster, one of the piles of granite has become so curiously worn as 

 to present a rude resemblance to the shipwrecked admiral, conspi- 

 cuous as he was for the use of that peculiar triangular hat which is 

 still called after his name. To a lively imagination the mass of stone 

 in the adjoining block may present some resemblance to the admiral's 

 favourite dog, which he carried continually with him, and which 

 perished with him in the wreck. There are many other highly inte- 

 resting masses of granite in the several islands, which afford curious 

 configurations from the degradation or decomposition of the rock 

 from atmospheric or other causes. The Logan Stone on the ledge 

 beneath Giant's Castle, for example ; or the Tooth Eock, near 

 Peninnis Head ; or the Kettle and Pans, near the same locality, which 

 might afford us some convincing arguments against the theory of 

 Druidical rock-basins. The curious caverns, too, which exist in these 

 islands, as, for instance. Piper's Hole in St. Mary's, with its roof of 

 supposed regenerated granite, having blocks or boulders imbedded in 

 it, and the singular occurrence of red alternating with w^hite granite, 

 may induce some more competent geologists than myself to visit this 

 interesting locality, and to increase our knowledge of the curious 

 phenomena which these islands present to the careful student of the 

 wonders of nature. 



