rest, or to find out by
dint of perseverance a little arrangement, which may or may not be
accidental: added to this, the cottages, and walls, and field
enclosures are built of such immense blocks cleared off the surface
of the fields, that one's mind is prepared for far more than the
Druids ever did: many a Stonehengeified doorway, many a Titanic
pigstye, many a "Pelion-on-Ossa" questionable-sentry box, puts one
out of conceit with our puny ancestors. I went first to the
Dans-mene, a famous stone-circle; and felt not a little vexed to
find that I, little i, am feet taller than any of the uprights
there, not 25 in number, and no bigger than field gateposts. It is
evidently the consecrated portion of a battlefield, for there are
several single stones dotted about the neighbourhood, to mark where
heroes fell; like those at Inveraray, but smaller. The habit all
through Cornwall of setting up a stone in every field, for cattle
to scratch themselves withal, seems to be a sly satire against
other rubbing-stones for A.S. Ses. A few dreary miles further
brought me to the "voonder of voonders," the Logan-Rock, which on
the map is near Boskenna. The cliff and coast scenery is superb;
immense masses of granite of all shapes and sizes tumbled about in
all directions; what wonder that in such a heap of giant pebbles
_one_ should be found ricketty? or more, what wonder that the very
decomposing nature of coarse granite should have caused the
atmosphere to eat away, gradually, all but the actual centre of
gravity? both at the Logan, and Land's End, and Mount St. Michael,
I am sure I have seen a hundred rocks wasted very nearly to the
moving point, and I could mention specifically six, which in 20
years will rock, or in half an hour of chiselling would. In part
proof of what I say, the Land-End people, jealous of Logan
customers, have just found out a great rock in their parts, which
two men can make to move; I recommended a long-handled chisel, and
have little doubt that my hint will be acted on; by next season,
the Cornish antiquaries will be puzzling their musty brains over
marks of "druidical" tools; essays will appear, to demonstrate that
the chippings were accomplished by the consecrated golden sickle;
the rock will be proved to have been quarried at Normandy,