LETTERS CONCERNING THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BASALTES OF THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE COUNTY OF ANTRIM; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF ITS ANTIQUITIES, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS. BY THE REV. WILLIAM HAMILTON, A. M. F.T. C. D. LETTER I. DEAR SIR, Portrush, July 20, 1784. MY natural curiofity, and the wish I had to trace the whole extent of the Bafaltes Μ of this country, induced me to make a fhort voyage, fome days ago, to the island of Raghery*, which lies fix or feven miles off the north coaft of Antrim, oppofite to Ballycastle bay. I enjoyed a good deal of pleasure in examining that little spot, which to me was almost a new kingdom; and if an account of it can at all contribute to amufe an idle hour of yours, I fhall more than double my own gratification. Though the island be not very remote, yet its fituation, fo much expofed to the northern ocean, and the turbulence of its irregular tides, have thrown fuch difficulties in the way of landfmen, that few have vifited it but from neceffity; and fome curious arrangements of the columnar basaltes, with which it abounds, have never been noticed, except by the inhabitants. The chalky tcliffs of Raghery, crowned by a venerable covering of brown rock, form a very beautiful and picturefque appearance as one fails toward them; and if the turbulence of the fea do not restrain the eyes and fancy from expatiating around, fuch a ftriking fimilitude appears between this and the oppofite coaft, as readily fuggefts an idea that the ifland might once have formed a part of the adjoining country, from whence it has been difunited by fome violent fhock of nature. You, to whom demonftration is familiar, will naturally wonder to fee two fhores, feven or eight miles afunder, fo expeditiously connected by fuch a lender and fanciful middle term as apparent fimilitude; and yet the likeness is fo ftrong, and attended with fuch peculiar circumftances, that I do not entirely despair of prevailing even on you to acknowledge my opinion as a probable one. It does not appear unreasonable to conclude, that if two pieces of land, feparated from each other by a chafm, be compofed of the fame kind of materials, fimilarly arranged at equal elevations, thefe different lands might have been originally connected, and the chalm be only accidental. For let us conceive the materials to be depofited by any of the elements of fire, air, earth, or water, or by any cause whatever, and it is not likely that this caufe, otherwife general, fhould in all its operations regularly flop fhort at the chaẩm. The materials of which the island of Raghery is compofed, are accurately the fame as thofe of the oppofite fhore, and the arrangement anfwers fo clofely, as almost to demonftrate at first view their former union. But to explain this more clearly, it will be neceffary to give you a general fketch of this whole line of coaft. The northern coaft of Antrim feems to have been originally a compact body of lime. ftone rock, confiderably higher than the prefent level of the fea; over which, at fome later period, extenfive bodies of vitrifiable ftone have been fuperinduced in a state of foftnefs. The original calcarious ftratum appears to be very much deranged and interrupted by these incumbent maffes. In fome places it is depreffed greatly below its ancient level-fhortly after it is borne down to the water's edge, and can be traced under its furface-by and by it dips entirely, and feems irretrievably loft under the fuperior mafs-in a fhort space, however, it begins to emerge, and after a fimilar variation recovers its original height. In this manner, and with fuch repeated viciflitudes of elevation and depreffion, it purfues a courfe of forty miles along the coaft, from Lough Foyle to Lough Larne. It naturally becomes an object of curiofity to enquire what the fubftance is from which the lime-stone feems thus to have fhrunk, burying itfelf (as it were in terror) under the covering of the ocean and on examination it appears to be the columnar bafaltes, under which the lime-ftone ftratum is never found, nor indeed does it ever approach nearer to it without evident figns of derangement. Thus for example:- the chalky cliffs may be difcovered a little eastward from Portrufh; after a fhort courfe, they are fuddenly depreffed to the water's edge under Dunluce caftle, and foon after loft entirely in paffing near the bafalt hill of Dunluce, whofe craigs near the fea are all columnar. At the river Bufh the lime-ftone recovers, and kims for a moment along the level of the fea, but immediately vanishes on approaching toward the great bafalt promontory of Bengore, under which it is completely loft for the fpace of more than three miles. Eaftward from thence, beyond Dunfeverick cafile, it again emerges, and rifing to a confiderable height, forms a beautiful barrier to White Park bay and the Ballintoy fhore. After this it fuffers a temporary depreffion near the bafalt hill of Knockfoghy, and then ranges along the coaft as far as Ballycaftle bay. Fairhead, ftanding with magnificence on its maffy columns of bafaltes, again exterminates it; and once again it rifes to the eastward, and pursues its devious course, forming, on the Glenarm fhores, a line of coaft the moft fantaftically beautiful that can be imagined. If this tedious expedition has not entirely worn out your patience, let us now take a view of the coaft of Raghery itfelf, from the lofty fummit of Fairhead, which overlooks it. Weftward, we fee its white cliffs rifing abruptly from the ocean, correfponding accurately in materials and elevation with thofe of the oppofite fhore, and like them crowned with a venerable load of the fame vitrifiable rock. Eaftward, we behold it dip to the level of the fea, and foon give place to many beautiful arrangements of bafalt pillars, which form the eastern end of the island, and lie oppofite to the bafaltes of Fairhead, affording in every part a reafonable prefumption that the two coafts were formerly connected, and that each was created and deranged by the fame caufes extenfively ope rating over both. But it is not in thefe larger features alone that the fimilitude may be traced; the more minute and accidental circumftances ferve equally well to afcertain it. Thus an heterogeneous mals of freeftone, coals, iron ore, &c. which forms the east fide of Ballycaftle bay, and appears qu'te different from the common fofils of the coun try, may be traced alfo directly oppofite, running into Raghery, with circumftances which almoft demonftrably afcertain it to be the fame vein. What I would infer from hence is, that this whole coaft has undergone confiderable changes in the courfe of fucceflive ages; that thofe abrupt promontories, which now run wildly into the ocean, in proud defiance of its boitterous waves, have been rendered broken and irregular by fome violent convulfion of nature; and that the island of Raghery, ftanding as it were in the midft between this and the Scottifh coaft, may be the furviving fragment of a large tract of country which at fome period of time has been buried in the deep. But I fall wave this tedious fubject for the prefent, and endeavour to compensate for the drynefs of this letter by fome account of the state and fingularities of this little. ifland. In the mean time, I muft entreat you will be fo candid as to give me timely notice. whenever my letters become dull and unentertaining-I fhall otherwife lofe my labour to very bad purpofc, as the chief object of them is to amuse you. I am, dear Sir, with the greatest respect, your affectionate, &c. LETTER II. DEAR SIR, Portrufb, July 27. THE remarkable hazinefs which has prevailed in our atmosphere, during the whole of this fummer, both by fea and land, has been very unfavourable to views along the coaft, and even in the fhort trip I made to Raghery, gave me reason to be apprehenfive of miffing our courfe, as the rapidity of the tide foon carries a veffel clear of the ifland. However, with the affiftance of a gleam from the meridian fun, we got fafely across the channel in the fpace of two or three hours. Raghery is near five miles in length, and about three quarters of a mile in breadth; toward the middle it is bent in an angle oppofite to Ballycastle, and forms a tolerable bay, affording good anchorage, in deep water with a stiff clay bottom; but a westerly wind raifes fuch a heavy fwell all along this coaft, that few veffels can ride out a gale from that quarter. Its tides are very remarkable. Here it is that the great body of water which flows from the ocean during the flood tide, to supply the north part of the Irish channel, is first confined and broken in its courfe; and a large portion of it is returned near the weit end of the island, in a counter tide, which supplies all the loughs and bays for the fpace of thirty miles, running toward the west, along the counties of Antrim, Derry, and Donegall; while in the mean time the true tide of flood runs toward the east, at the diftance of a few miles from the coaft, parallel to the former. From fuch eddies as this many fingular irregularities arife, and in feveral places the tide from the weftward (or the flood tide, as they denominate it) appears to flow nine hours, while the cbb continues only three. Seamen, who are accustomed to navigate along this coaft, know well how to use these different ftreams to good purpofe. For example: a fhip leaving Dublin with the flood tide (which comes into the Irish channel from the fouthward) may with a leading wind reach the county of Down; there the veffel will fall in with the northern tide of ebb, just then beginning to return to the ocean. With the affiftance of this current, and the fame leading breeze, the fhip may fetch the ifle of Raghery; where a judicious pilot, inftead of oppofing the returning tide of flood, may drop into a northern eddy, which will carry him as far as him as far as Lough Swilly; where the true tide of ebb will again receive him, and bear his hip out of the western ocean. Thus by prudent management may he enjoy the advantage of four different fucceffive tides, all favourable to his voyage. The western winds (which prevail here during far the greater part of the year) sweeping with an uninterrupted blaft over the Atlantic Ocean, roll a moft formidable wave along this coaft, of which I had fome experience in crofling to the ifland. The day was uncommonly ftill, not a breath of wind to ruffle the water, and yet a heavy majeftic fwell, ever heaving forward feemed to threaten ruin to our boat, and frequently hid from view even the lofty promontory of Fairhead. From this unruffled furface, however, there was not the flighteft danger to be apprehended, and our veffel rofe and defcended on the glaffy wave with entire fecurity. How changed was this fcene in the course of a few hours! The moment that the ebb began to return to the ocean, rufhing in oppofition to this western fwell, all was confufion and tumult. The long wave which had juft before rolled forward in filent majefty, was now fretted and broken into a tempeftuous fea, which the ftouteft boats dare not encounter, and even the beft fhips wifh to avoid. This alternate scene of peace and war takes place twice every day, and it is by attention to this circumstance that the paffage is made with tolerable fecurity. The little fkiff in which I navigated was built of very flight materials, and did not feem to me well calculated to buffet thefe ftormy feas. I obferved that we had received a good deal of water into it; and on expreffing my uneafinefs that there was no vifible means of throwing it out, one of the men inftantly took off his brogue, with which he foon cleared the veffel of water, and put it on his foot again without seeming to feel the flightest inconvenience from the wetness of it; leaving me quite at eafe on the fubject of pumping the veffel. Raghery contains about twelve hundred inhabitants, and is rather over peopled, as there is no confiderable manufacture which might give employment to any fuperfluous hands *. The cultivated land is kindly enough, and produces excellent barley. In a plentiful year fix hundered pounds worth of this grain has been exported from it. The craigy pafturage fattens a fmall, but delicious breed of fheep. Even its inhofpitable rocks fupply to the hand of industry a rich fource of wealth, in the fea-weed it affords for the manufacture of kelp, which, under an indulgent landlord, often goes near to pay the whole rent of the island t. • From a cenfus fince held by the priest of the island, in order to lay a tax of one fhilling on each perfon above the age of fixteen years, for the purpofe of erecting a mass-house, it appears that the numbers amount to eleven hundred; there are one hundred and forty families, which almoft average at the rate of eight perfons to each family. The cenfus has produced a great deal of uneafiness in the island, from an opinion that one perfon will die during the year in each family fo numbered. This year an hundred tons of kelp have been exported from Raghery, which was bought by the linen bleachers of the north of Ireland, at 51. 58. per ton, the whole amounting to more than 5251. The annual rent of the island is but 6ool. This entire manufacture is carried on by women and children, while the men are employed in more hazardous fervices. At low water the fea-weed is cut from the rocks, and fpread out before the fun to dry; at night it is made up in little parcels, which are opened and shaken out again whenever the weather permits; this process is continued till the weed becomes dry enough to be burnt. A hole is then made in the ground, and a little temporary kiln erected, of loofe ftones, in which the weed is cautiously and gradually burned. During this procefs the vegetable falt, and every thing not capable of being eafily diffipated by the fire, melts, and coalefces in one mafs at the bottom of the kiln. In this ftate it is exported, no means having been yet established here, or in any part of the adjoining coaft, to purify the alkaline falt from the various mixtures of marine falt, &c. with which it abounds.` The |