coast, and of known rocks. Staffa and Ailsa, on the west coast, and the
Bass, upon the east, are mountains of either whin-stone or granite,
similar to many such mountains within the land; and they are
perpendicular around, except perhaps on one part. It is demonstrable
that such basaltic rock as contains zeolite and calcareous spar, as most
of our whin-stones do, could not have been the eruption of a volcano,
consequently those rocks must have been masses protruded in a fluid
state, under an immense cover of earth at the time of their production;
and they could not have risen immediately out of the sea, with all their
various minerals, their veins and cutters, their faces and their angles.

In like manner, the east coast of Caithness is a perpendicular cliff
of sand-stone, lying in a horizontal position, and thus forming a flat
country above the shore. But along this coast there are small islands,
pillars, and peninsulas, of the same strata, corresponding perfectly
with that which forms the greater mass. Now, shall we suppose those
strata of sand-stone to have been formed in their place, and to have
reached no farther eastward into the sea?--It is unsupposable. Or, shall
we conceive that the sea, which has made such depredations in land
composed of much more solid materials, had spared this, and had
not wasted much more than that now pointed out by the ruins which
remain?--Impossible; we must suppose that there had once existed much
land where nothing now is found but sea. But, if we are to suppose much
to have been wasted, where shall we stop in this process of restoring
continents? That is the question now to be discussed.

With this view, let us now turn our attention to the north-west coast of
Europe, in consulting the general as well as the most particular maps.
Upon the one extremity of Britain, we find Cornwall separating it as it
were from the main land; and, from this promontory, the Scilly Isles
pointing out what had been destroyed in that direction, which is here to
be considered as the line of greatest resistance. But what a quantity
of the soft materials, or less resisting parts on either side, has been
destroyed! Upon the other extremity of Britain, we find the country
of Scotland, forming itself into promontories and islands, and those
islands and rocks pointing out to us what had been the former extent
of our continent and land around. But, in following this connection of
things, we cannot refuse to ac