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circle, which proves a very violent
effeét of the fire on the pillars already
{landing, as in moft places, or at leaft
in a great many, they are intirely perpendicular,
and by their form arid iltu-
ation iliew that they have even been
burnt iu a perpendicular direction.
As to the matter o f which the Ice?-
iandic bafalts are compofed, it is in
fome places fimilar to that o f which
the pillars, at Staffa coniift, though in
others it is more porous, and inclines
more to grey. And whoGknoivs, if
an attentive and curious, naturalift,
who had both time and talents requi-
fite for fuch an undertaking, might
not eafily trace all the gradations between
the coarfeft lava and the fineft
pillar o f bafalt ? I myfelf faw fome of
this laft fort at Videy, that were
folid, of a blackifli grey, and compofed
of feveral joints. Not far
from thence, at Laugarnas, near the
fea-iliore, I faw a porous glafty kind
of ftone, confequently lava, but was
fo indiftinclly divided, that I was for
a long time undetermined, whether I
fliould confider.it as pillars or not;
bu^
but at length the reft o f the company,
as well as myfelf, were perfuaded that
they really were pillars. But I will
poftpone the examination o f the matter
o f which thefe pillars coniift, and
of the manner in which they are
formed, till fuch time as I have given
you the promifed defcription o f the
ifle of' Staffa.
A piece o f good fortune procured
ns the pleafure o f being the firff who
ever examined thefe wonders o f nature
with an attentive eye. Among
all thofe who have publiflied defcrip-
tions o f Scotland, there are none except
Buchanan, whofe account, however,
is very imperfed, that mentions
a fingle fyllable of thefe pillars. Mr.
Pennant, an indefatigable and experienced
naturalift, in the fame year that
we viiited this ifland, made a tour to
Scotland to examine the natural pro-
duGlions o f that country, but was prevented
by a contrary wind frorn going
Staffa. Moft probably we iliould
not have come there neither, i f the
ufual ebb and flood, which is very
ftrong
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