I IO 
THE TERTIARY VOLCANOES 
BOOK VIII 
Freiberg, the future distinguished Professor of Natural History in the 
Edinburgh University naturally saw everything in the peculiar Wernerian 
light. He gave the first detailed enumeration of some of the eruptive 
rocks of the Hebrides, but of course ridiculed the idea of their igneous 
origin. Having heard of a reported “ crater of a volcano ” near Portree, he 
ironically expressed a hope that “ there may be still sufficient heat to revive 
the spirits of some forlorn fire-philosopher, as he wanders through this cold, 
bleak country.” 1 
The advent of Jameson to Edinburgh gave a fresh impetus to the 
warfare of the Plutonists and Neptunists, for he brought to the ranks 
of the latter a mineralogical skill such as none of their Scottish opponents 
could boast. The igneous origin of basalt, which the Plutonists stoutly 
maintained, was as strongly denied by the other side. For some years one 
of the most telling arguments against the followers of Hutton was derived 
from the alleged occurrence of fossil shells in the basalt of the north coast 
of Ireland. Kinvan 2 * cpioted with evident satisfaction Eichardson’s observa- 
tion of “ shells in the basalts of Ballycastle,” and Eichardson 8 himself, 
though the true explanation, that the supposed basalt is only Lias shale 
altered by basalt, had been stated in 1802 by Playfair, 4 continued for ten 
years afterwards to reiterate his belief in the aqueous origin of basalt. 
Thus the Tertiary volcanic rocks furnished effective weapons to the com- 
batants on both sides. The dispute regarding the black fossiliferous rocks 
of Portrush had the effect of drawing special attention to the geology of the 
North of Ireland. Among the more noted geologists who were led to examine 
them, particular reference must be made to Conybeare and Buckland, who, 
in the year 1813, studied the interesting coast-sections of Antrim. The 
report of their observations gives an excellent summary of the arguments 
for the truly igneous origin of basalt, and a statement of opinion in favour 
of the view that the bedded basalts are the products of submarine volcanoes. 
Berger also about the same time described in fuller detail the geology of the 
Antrim district, and showed the rocks of the basalt-plateau to be younger 
than the Chalk. He likewise made a study of the basalt-dykes of the North 
of Ireland, and was the first to point out their prevalent north-westerly 
direction. The memoirs of these geologists 5 .may justly be regarded, to 
quote the words of Portlock, as “ the first effectual step made in Irish 
1 It will lie shown in a later chapter that there is a remarkably perfect volcanic vent near 
Portree, bnt the supposed crater referred to by Jameson was probably some little corry among 
the sheets of basalt. 
2 Geological, Essays, 1799, p. 252, footnote. 
:l Iticharilson lived on the Antrim coast, and had daily opportunities of examining the admir- 
able rock-sections there exposed. It was ho who found the shells in supposed basalt, and led 
the geologists of his day astray on this subject. He made a clever but irrelevant reply to Play- 
fair’s plain statement of facts {'Ivans. Roy. Irish Acad. vol. ix. 1803, p. 481). His elaborate 
attack on “the Volcanic Theory ” will be found in Trans. Roy. Irish Acad. vol. x. (1806), pp. 35- 
107. Though lively enough as a specimen of controversial writing, it forms, when seriously 
considered, rather a melancholy chapter in geological literature. 
4 Illustrations of the Hultonian Theory, § 252. 
5 They are contained in the third volume of the Transactions of the Geological Society. 
