clakke’s travels. 
/4 
pillar, upright in the soil, among fragments of others. The pil¬ 
lar was hexagonal; about seven feet in height, and ten inches 
diameter ; of hard black basalt, without any horizontal fis¬ 
sures, like those seen in the pillars of the Giant’s Causeway in 
Ireland, but as regular in its sides and angles as the finest spe¬ 
cimen of crystalized emerald. Having attended particularly 
to the appearances presented by basalt in many parts of the 
world, in the beds of rivers, in lakes, and in the sea; and hav¬ 
ing traced them almost the whole way from the north coast of 
Ireland, through all the Hebrides, to Iceland ; I am persuaded 
the regularity of this structure is entirely owing to crystaliza- 
tion. The original deposit whence the pillars in this place were 
derived, does not lie far from the road. The strata on each 
side consisted, for the most part, of limestone; but we observ¬ 
ed a subjacent bed of schisius, containing greenish ashestus , 
like that found on the western coast of Inverness-shire in Scot¬ 
land. A wild race of mountaineers appeared occasionally de¬ 
scending the heights into the defile; or seated by the banks 
of the river, with sandals on their feet, made of undressed 
bulls’ hides, bound with thongs of the same materials around 
their ancles and insteps. Such was the caliga , or military shoe, 
as we now see it represented on Grecian bronzes and medals ; 
and it is probable that from these mountains a costume might 
be selected, exhibiting the appearance of the people in the same 
district, over whom Alneas, retiring up the country, is said to 
have reigned, after the capture of Troy . # At four hours’ dis¬ 
tance from Bonarbashv we came to the town of Mne, the 
./Eneia of Strabo,j situated upon a river falling into the Men¬ 
der, which Mr, Wood described as being itself the Scamao- 
der.J The appearanc e of the town is very pleasing, being or¬ 
namented with cypresses, and backed by lofty rocks and moun¬ 
tains. We were surprised in finding a place of so much con¬ 
sequence so remotely situated. Its remarkable appellation, 
still commemorating the name of Mneas , and having borne the 
same appellation in the time of Augustus, speaks more forcibly 
the truth of the story of Troy, than any written document. It is 
an existing evidence, against which there is no possible appeal. 
Its situation exactly corresponds with the position assigned to 
it by Strabo, who relates its distance from Palw Scepcis, a name 
* Strab. Geogr. lib. xiii. p 873. Ed. Or. 
f Ibid. p. BC9. 1 <Ncrl ySv rnv naA.awn|>iv ,u?y Alnias Silxov mnnuono! 
cmftias . k. r. 
X-Descrlpt. of the Troa.de 7 p. 323. 
