other ifles o f grotefque appearance *. T o the South appear the
Slate iflands, Scarba, Jura, and Ilay; and to the Weil, Oranfay and
Colonfay.
Sail between Inch and the Maire ifles, leaving the noted Slate
ifland o f Eufdale to the Eaft, and clofe to it Suil and Luing, chiefly
the property o f the Earl of Breadalbane : within thefe are the harbours
of Eufdale, o f Cuain, between Luing and Suil; Bardr’ife, off
Luing ; and below, is that o f Black muil bay,
Oppofite to Luing, on the Weft, is a groupe o f rough little ifles,
of which Plada and Belna-hua are productive of flate. In the broad
Rapid tides, bafon between thefe and Luing, is a moft rippling tide ; even in this
calm forces us along with vaft celerity and violence : the whole fur-
face difordered with eddies and whirlpools, riling firft with furious
boilings, driving and vaniihing with the current. Anchor under
the Eaft fide, beneath the vaft mountain of
S c A R B Aj
an ifland of great height, about five miles long, chiefly covered with
heath, but on this fide are fome woods, and marks o f cultivation,
Mr. Macleane lives on this fide, and favors us with a vifit, and offers
Gulph of his fervice to Ihew Us the celebrated gulph o f Corry-vrekan •. which we
CORRY-VREKAN. j . j • .n . - HH
did not wait till morning to lee, as our expe&ations were raifed
to the higheft pitch, and we thought of nothing lefs than that it
would prove a fecond Mal-Jlrom. We accordingly took a moft
fatiguing walk up the mountain, through heath of an uncommon
height, fwarming with grous. We arrived in an ill hour, for
* Among them that of Durisfuirt. Vide Title-page;
H I the
*
the tide did not fuit, and we faw little more than a very ftrong
current.
This morning we take boat; and after rowing two miles, land
and walk along the rocks till we reach a fit place for furveying
this phenomenon. The channel between this ifle and fu r a is.
about a mile broad, expofed to the weight o f the atlantic, which
pours in its waters here with great force, their courfe being directed
and confined by the found between Cohnfay and Mull.
The tide had at this time made two hours flood, and ran with a
furious current, great boilings, attended with much foam * s and
in many places formed confiderable whirl-pools. On the fide of
Jura the current daihes, as is reafonable to fuppofe, againft fome
funk rocks. It forms there a moft dreadful backtide, which in
tempefts catches up the veffels that the whirl-pools fling into i t ;
fo that almoft certain deftruction attends thofe that are fo unfortunate
as to be forced in at thofe feafons. It was our ill-luck to
fee it in a very pacific ftate, and pafiable without the left
hazard.
The chief whirl-pool lies on the Scarba fide, near the weft
end. Here, as that Ikilful pilot, Mr. Murdock Mackenzie, afiured
me, it is of various depths, viz. 36, 47, 83, and 91 fathoms;
and o f fome places unfathomable : the tranfitions fudden, from
the leffer to the greater depths : the bottom all fharp rocks
with vaft chafms between •, and a fathomlefs one where the greateft
‘vortex lies, from which, to the eaftern end o f Scarba, clofe to ihore,
the depths are 13, 9, 12.
* From its varied colours it is called Coire-bkrtacain; or, the fpotted or plaided.
Cauldron.. ,
H. h h. There
Aug. iz.