tombs like little chapels, with an inscription on a broad stone in the gable of each; but scarce a vestige of these tombs now exists. North of the monastery are the remains of a small edifice, called the Bishop's House. Other ruins of monastic buildings may be traced. Such is the present state of that illustrious island, which was once the seminary of the Caledonian regions, whence savage clans and roving barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge and the 'blessings of religion.'

Staffa, about 8 miles northward of Iona, and as far west of Loch-na-gaul, an islet on the coast of Mull, is a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth; noted for its basaltic pillars, resembling those of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. On the SE. coast, opposite to a creek, or convenient landing-place, there is a cave, whose entrance, in the form of a Gothic arch, is bounded on the south by basaltic columns, inclining inwards like the ribs of a ship. The opposite side of the cave forms a steep and irregular but not inaccessible front, and northward terminates in a vast basaltic mass, where the columns appear to have been removed from their perpendicular site, and laid horizontally; but, before they were completely consolidated, their support in the middle yielding, gave them the bended concave form they now bear. -Near the cave is the little island of Buachaille, or Bootha-la, consisting entirely of pillars rising gradually above one another, some erect, and others inclined, without any strata above them.-The access to Fingal's Cave from the east is easy, as many rows of broken pillars form an irregular pavement of fine black basalt, the upper parts, or surfaces, being promiscuously flat, convex and concave.— The form of the upright columns is generally five-sided; but some have four, others six, and a few seven sides; and, between many of the pillars, is a very thin coat of white spar, extremely hard, and like a fine cement. The entire pillars are about 40 feet high, with a thick stratum of broken basalt, small stones and gravel above them.-Fingal's Cave,

cave.

or Fiuhn-Mac-Coul's Grotto, fronting the south-west, reaches far inland. By the measurement of Sir Joseph Banks, the length of this cave from the beach is 371 feet, and 250 from the pitch of the arch; being 53 broad at the mouth, and 20 at the further end. The height of the arch at the entrance is 117 feet, and 70 at the extremity. The depth of the water at the mouth is 18 feet, and nine at the bottom of the On the top of the pillars, near the cave, there is an immense mass of small stones, pieces of basalt and mud mingled together; the weight of which had bent the pillars from their perpendicular position, before they were sufficiently hardened.-In the SW. corner of the island, there is another cave, not so deep nor so lofty as Fingal's; and six or seven more in other parts of the coast; but on the NE. end of the island there are no pillars.-The form of the island is irregular, and its surface uneven, covered with a thin stratum of soil yielding grass, on which sheep and goats are fed; but there is no inhabitant. It may contain 300 acres. Towards the middle, where it is narrowest, there is a low ground, or hollow. In several places, the tops of the basaltic columns appear through the grass. From this island there is an extensive view of the Treshunish Isles, of Tirey and Col, of Iona, Colonsay, Gometra, Ulva, and the western coasts of Mull.

Ulva and Gometra are two islands 9 miles in length, and 1-2 in breadth; half a mile from the mainland of Mull, and 10 miles W. by S. of Aros. Separated from each other by a very narrow strait, they consist of arable land and pasturage. The soil, in general, is thin, sharp and fertile; and yields grain more than sufficient for the support of the inhabitants. Ulva house, long the seat of the ancient family of the Macquarrys, is surrounded by thriving plantations. The rocks along the south coast of Ulva are basaltic; and the sound or strait on the north side of this island affords safe anchoring ground for coasting vessels.-Gometra, at the west end of Ulva, though small, is tolerably fertile, but destitute

of wood. It has two bays, or harbours; viz. one on the south, and another on the north coast.

Inchkenneth, on the south side of Ulva, and scarcely a mile from the coast of Mull, is an island about a mile long, and half a mile broad, remarkable for pleasantness and fertility. It is verdant, and fit both for pasture and tillage; but it has no trees. It was once a seminary of monks, dependent, perhaps, upon Iona; but no vestige of the college can be traced. The walls of a chapel, 60 feet in length and 30 in breadth, still remain, surrounded by a cemetery.

North-west of Staffa, and several miles west of Gometra, is a cluster of small isles, called the Treishnish, or Treshunish Isles, the chief of which is Cairnbulg and Little Cairnbulg, on both of which are remains of ancient buildings: but none of these isles is now inhabited.

Coll, an island in 56° 38' N. latitude, about 7 miles NW. of Mull, and 11 W. of Ardnamurchan, is 14 miles from SW. to NE, and 2-3 in breadth; comprehending an area of 28 square miles, containing 1277 inhabitants. The interior parts consist of heathy hills, rocks, and 48 small lakes, with corn-fields and patches of grass. The soil is either peat earth, or thin gravel on a bottom of rock or sand, partially enclosed, and indifferently cultivated. There are three small hills, numerous springs, some brooks, but no river, in the island. On the north coast, there is a level and indifferently fertile tract; the shores are rocky, and in many places precipitous; but on the east coast there are two bays. No foxes, serpents, or any venomous creatures are to be found in Coll. Two hundred and fifty black cattle, and 55 tons of kelp, are annually exported. Considerable improvements in agriculture have been introduced by Mr Maclean the proprietor. The castle of Coll is in tolerable repair. There is a stated ferry betwixt Tirey and Coll, and another betwixt Coll and Mull; but both are dangerous, on account of rapid currents, and a heavy swell of the Atlantic.

Tirey, or Tiree, an island in 56° 31' N. latitude, SW, of

Coll, divided by a natural bay about a league broad, is 12 miles from SW. to NE, and 2-7 in breadth; containing 24 square miles, or 15,360 acres, occupied by 3186 inhabitants. In this island are five or six green hills, three of which rise from 200 to 250 feet above the level of the sea. Twenty-four lakes cover about 600 acres. Near the centre there is a plain, forming an almost regular pentagon of 1200 acres of dark loam above sand, elevated six feet above highwater mark, and covered with verdure. About one half of the island is arable ground, interspersed with rocks and eminences. Sand, peat-earth, clay and black mould, either separated, or mixed in various proportions, are the ingre dients of the soil: but two-thirds of the arable land are either too wet or too dry; and almost the whole surface is exposed to frequent storms. There is no wood of any kind in the island, but large roots and trunks of trees are found in the mosses. Ironstone, granite, limestone and marble, abound. The coast, for the most part rocky, opens into several sandy bays; but there is no convenient harbour.-In Ceanmharra, the western promontory, and the adjoining cliffs, there are many natural caves, in which seafowls, hawks and eagles, hatch their young. Some of these caves are 160 feet in height. Ancient forts, watchtowers and temples, lie in ruins along the coasts of Tirey and Coll. There are remains of 39 of these buildings in sight of one another in Tirey. They have two walls without any cement. The inner wall is always circular; but the outer sometimes assumes the form of the rock on which it stands. On a rugged declivity of Ceanmharra, is St Patrick's temple, 26 by 11 feet within walls, ill built of stone and lime. There are nine or ten large stones, erected as monuments, in different parts. About 200 black cattle are annually exported, and upwards of 250 tons of kelp are manufactured on the shores. Guna, or Gunna, is a little island in the sound. Tirey belongs to the Duke of Argyle.—Six leagues westward is a cluster of rocks, called Seeir More, dangerous to navigators,

Colonsay and Oronsay are two islands divided from each other by a narrow sound dry at low water, but at flood-tide 8-12 feet in depth, according to the state of the tides and the seasons of the year. They lie in 56° 5′ N. latitude, about 12 miles S. of Mull, and 5 NNW. of the N. extremity of Ilay. About 13 miles in length and 1-3 in breadth, they contain 9000 Scots acres, of which the one half nearly is arable, and occupied by 900 inhabitants. The surface is very unequal, being incumbered with rugged hills covered with heath. The soil is a decomposition of schistus, ardesia, granite, &c. mixed with clay. Along the shores it is sandy, but less stony and more fertile than that of Jura. Colonsay has of late been greatly improved by Mr MacNeil the present proprietor. A considerable extent of moors, hills and peat-mosses, have been converted into arable ground. The modern system of husbandry has been introduced with success; and a quay 360 feet long, has been built at Port-nafeamuinn, where vessels of 400 tons burden have been repaired. There are other inferior landing places. Some trees lately planted are in a thriving state. Neither toads, vipers or serpents, are found in those islands. In Colonsay, there was a monastery of Cistercians, the remains of which, not many years ago, were, with Gothic barbarity, demolished. The walls of the priory in Oronsay still exist, and form one of the finest monuments of antiquity in the Hebrides. The church 59 by 18 feet, contains the tombs of many ancient islanders. The cloister, a square of 41 feet, and other adjoining buildings, are in a ruinous state. On the shores of those islands there is abundance of sea coral; and the quantity of kelp manufactured exceeds what is made in Ilay, or Jura.

1

Ilay, or Islay, an island, between 55° 40′ and 56° N. latitude, lies to the SSE. of Oronsay, 12 miles from Knapdale in Argyleshire, and 20 N. of Rathlin an island on the N. coast of Ireland. It is separated from Jura by a channel about a mile in breadth. In its form resembling a heart,