M U 
Atlantic Ocean, and every-where interfperfed with finall 
jflands, of which the celebrated Icolm-kill, or Iona, is the 
moll remarkable. This ifland meafures from eaft to weft 
about twenty-four miles, and from north to foutli nearly 
the fame extent, and comprehends three parochial diftriCts ; 
ICilfinichen, Kilninien, and Torofay. Its fuperficial con¬ 
tent, however, is by no means equal to a fquare of that 
magnitude, owing to the many indentations of the fea, 
particularly on its weftern fide. The coaft here is, for 
the moll part, bold and rocky; and the face of the coun¬ 
try generally exhibits aferies of mountains, fome of them 
riling to a confiderable height. The moft elevated are 
the Bien-More, or Great Mountain; and Bien-Talindh , 
or ProfpeCt Mountain; both of which command very 
extenfive fea-views. 
In this peculiarity of country, as may be fuppofed, 
agriculture is little attended to; and indeed almoft the 
only parts of the ifland under cultivation are fome de¬ 
tached ftrips of land near the fliore. Some of the moun¬ 
tains form excellent Iheep-walks, and to this purpofe 
they are accordingly applied. All the other portions of 
the ifland, not covered with wood or fwampy morafi'es, 
are devoted to the feeding of cattle, of which great num¬ 
bers are annually reared and exported. Tliefe cattle are 
chiefly, if not entirely, of the black native fpecies; and 
the fale of them conftitutes the principal mode whereby 
the tenants are enabled to procure money for the pay¬ 
ment of their rents. Such of them as are unable to effeCt 
that objeCt in this way are generally compelled to leave 
their homes, after they have fown their little arable fpots, 
to feek work in the more fouthern diftriCts, whence they 
return before harveft, with a trifling pittance faved from 
their hard-earned wages. As there are few inclofures in 
the ifland, either to feparate the grazing farms from each 
other, or to protect the arable fields from the depreda¬ 
tions of the cattle, a number of perfons are neceffarily 
employed in the capacity of herdfmen, who lead a life of 
great floth and inactivity. They are, neverthelefs, a 
hardy and vigorous race, much attached to their native 
foil, and furnilh many excellent foldiers for the royal 
fervice. The only kinds of corn fown here are oats and 
barley ; the former affording very indifferent crops, and 
the latter much more luxuriant ones than is ufual in the 
weftern iflands. The oats are generally made into meal; 
but the greateft part of the barley is diftilled into whitkey, 
in fpite of the conftant efforts of the excife to prevent its 
manufacture. Sea-w r are and fhell-fand are much ufed as 
manure, and are carried to the fields on the backs of 
horfes in bafkets, and in creels. All the implements of 
hufbandry are extremely rude, and probably the fame 
that have been employed during feveral centuries paft; 
for, as there is no regular plough or harrow' maker in the 
ifland, each farmer conftruCts his own, after the manner 
oi his forefathers. 
Of the villages in Mull, the only one worthy of notice 
is Tober-Moray, which Hands clofe to the fhore, near the 
northern extremity of the Sound. The village was built 
by the Britifh Society for the Encouragement of the 
Fifheries, in 1788 ; and might foon be improved into one 
of the chief fea-ports on the weftern coafts of Scotland, 
as it poffefles a fine bay completely fheltered from the 
ocean bythefmall ifland of Calve; and lies direCfly in the 
track of the numerous veflels which pafs from more fouth- 
ern ports to the northern countries of Europe. At pre- 
fent, however, it does not contain above thirty houfes, 
built of ftone and lime; befides, perhaps, nearly double 
that number of fmall thatched huts. The inhabitants 
principally either hold fituations in the poft-oftice or 
cuftom-houfe, or are employed in fome capacity con¬ 
nected with, or dependent on, the herring-filheries. 
Of the landed property in Mull, the greater proportion 
belongs to the reprefentative of the ancient family of the 
M'Leans, but a confiderable part of it is likewife in the 
poffeffion of the duke of Argyle. Torloigh, the refldence 
of Mr, M'Lean, is the only manfion of note in the whole 
VOL, XVI. No, X102. 
L L. 177 
ifland. Caftle-Duart, the feat of his powerful anceftors, 
u'hich flood on a bold head-land projecting into the fea, 
is now wholly in ruins ; as is alfo Caftle-Aros, or Aras, 
laid to have been long the relidence of the M'Donalds, 
lords of the ifles. 
But what chiefly demands attention in an account of 
this ifland, is its mineralogy. The fubltratum, through¬ 
out a great extent, is a mafs of whin-ftone, only different 
from bafaltes, which alfo frequently occurs, in the greater 
coarfenefs of its grain. Some of the bafaltes affume a re¬ 
gular columnar form. Near Aros are fome rocks of white 
lava, and apparently of the fame kind with that defcribed 
by M. Dolomieu, in his “ Memoires fur l’lfle de Ponces.” 
Lime-ftone is extremely abundant, and in fome places is 
of fo fine a quality as to refemble marble, and to be 
capable of a fine polifli. Coal has been difeovered in 
confiderable quantity, but fo fituated as to render it im¬ 
practicable to be worked with any profpeCt of advantage. 
Hence the inveftigation of the ftrata of the ifland is more 
an objeCt of curiofity to the mineralogift than of utility 
to the practical miner. In one fpot a ftratum of coal is 
difeovered immediately “ under bafaltes; and, in another, 
bafaltes incumbent on that mineral; perhaps the only 
inftance of the kind in the world.” The mountain 
called Ben-Enich contains a very uncommon mineral 
fubftance, a zeolite, or compound fiiiceous fpar impreg¬ 
nated with petroleum. Sand-ftone, and granite of an 
excellent grain, are very plentiful, and the fliore abounds 
with pebbles of great variety and beauty. At Balphe- 
trifh is the celebrated ringing-ftone ; which meafures feven 
feet long by fix broad, and is four and a half feet in thick- 
nefs. This ftone is of a dark grey colour, fpotted with 
ftars of black mica, and totally different from the fur¬ 
rounding rocks. It is fo hard, that any attempt to break 
off the fmalleft fragment by the moft vigorous ftrokes of 
a common hammer would be entirely vain ; and when fo 
ftruck it yields a found like brafs, or call iron. The 
mineral properties of this curious ftone, we believe, have 
not yet been afeertained. The other mineralogical cu- 
riofities in Mull are its caverns, which, though fome have 
queftioned the opinion, are doubtlefs natural excavations. 
Of thefe, two in the diftrift of Airdmeanach are par¬ 
ticularly deferving of notice. One, called Ladder-Cave, 
is capable of containing about eighty men, and has a 
breaft-work built at its entrance, to which a paffage leads 
up the rock, where two men only can walk a-breaft. In 
this cave, tradition fays that the inhabitants anciently 
took Ihelter in times of danger. The other, called 
M‘Kinnen’s-Cave, is much more capacious ; and is com¬ 
monly fuppofed to have taken its defignation from a 
gentleman named M'Kinnen, who went to explore it, 
and was never afterwards heard of. At that time it was 
generally thought to reach quite acrofs the country; but 
this idea has been long fince found to be erroneous, every 
part of it having been examined, and its dimenfions de¬ 
termined by fucceeding adventurers. If, therefore, there 
is any truth in the ftory of M'Kinnen, he muft either have 
perilhed from fome accidental caule, or have been mur¬ 
dered by perfons who had taken fhelter in the cave, and 
coniidered him as a dangerous fpy or intruder. 
The common language of Mull is the Gaelic, or Erfe, 
but a number of perfons alfo fpeak Englifh; and, no 
doubt, if proper encouragement were given to the pariih- 
fchools, the latter would foon become almoft univerfal. 
Unhappily, however, it happens here, as in many other 
highland diftriCts, that the ftipend of a fchoolmafter is 
fcarcely equal to the wages of the meaneft labourer; 
and hence it may be conjectured, that few perfons of 
any ability will devote their time and acquifitions to fuch 
unprofitable employment, as taking the charge of edu¬ 
cation in a country, where their utmoft efforts are inade¬ 
quate to afford the moft ordinary f uftenance of life. 
Mull has, no doubt, been the feene of fome fevere con¬ 
flicts in ancient times, which, however, for the moft part, 
were of too little general importance to find a place in 
2 z the 
