Lewis Topographical Dictionary - OSi Online Shop

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sions it forms part of the union or district of Coleraine.
There are two meeting houses for Presbyterians in con-
nection with the Synod of Ulster, one of which is of the
third class, and there are places of worship for Seceders,
Covenanters, and Wesleyan Methodists. At Eagry is
a school under the trustees of Erasmus Smith’s charity,
for which a good school-house has been erected, with a
residence for the master, who has two acres of land; a
school is held in a house hired for that purpose at Bush-
mills, and is supported by subscription; there is a
parochial school for girls, for which a house was built, in
1832, by William Trail, Esq.; also schools at Moycraig,
Cambore, Straidbilly, and Dromiarran, and another is
held in the Methodist meeting-house at Castle-Cat,
which was endowed with £20 by the late Dr. Adam Clarke.
The Rev. Archdeacon Trail, in 1831, bequeathed £50 for
the use of the poor of the parish, which has been in-
vested in Government securities, and the interest is
annually distributed by his son, W. Trail, Esq. There are
some remains of the ancient castle of Ballylough, which
was of much importance; the lake on which it was situ-
ated has been drained, and is now under cultivation.
The GIANTS’ CAUSEWAY, probably the most exten-
sive and curious assemblage of basaltic columns in the
world, is situated between Port-na-Grange and Port
Noffer, in N. Lat. 55° 20’ and W. Lon. 6° 50’; and de-
rives its name from a popular tradition that it was erected
by giants, as the commencement of a causeway across the
ocean to Scotland. This very interesting natural curi-
osity forms part of a large promontory, of which Ben-
gore Head, about a mile distant, is the most northern
point in Ireland. The only access to it by land is down
a winding path, cut at the expense of the late Earl of
Bristol, while Bishop of Derry, on the western side of
a verdant headland called Aird Snout, to two detached
hills called the Stookans, whence the first view of this
stupendous work of nature is obtained. This view is
one of the most magnificent imaginable, embracing an
immense bay broken with capes and headlands, rising
abruptly to the height of 400 feet above the level of the
sea, and consisting of lofty colonnades of the most
symmetrically-formed basaltic pillars, inserted in the
cliffs like artificial supporters, standing in groups like
gigantic honeycombs, or scattered in pleasing disorder
like the ruins of a city of temples and palaces. From
the Stookans the road leads to the base of the causeway,
which extends in a northerly direction from the pro-
montory into the sea. This splendid natural pier is
somewhat triangular in form; the base beneath the
cliff being 135, the eastern side 220, and the western
800, yards long; while the breadth in the centre is about 60.
The view of the causeway from the footpath suggests the
idea of an immense unfinished embankment, forming an
inclined plane, in some places rising by successive steps,
in others presenting a nearly level pavement, formed by
the tops of the closely united columns, with some chasms
exhibiting the admirable arrangement of this wonderful
structure. The causeway is divided into three unequal
parts. The little, or western, causeway is 386 feet long,
but only 16 high, and is separated from the central com-
partment by an enormous whin dyke, extending from
the cliff to the sea. The middle section, which is the
shortest, contains a magnificent group of lofty pillars,
called “the honeycomb,” and is also bounded on the
east by a whin dyke. Beyond this is the grand cause-
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way, which is 706 feet long by 109 wide in the middle:
in that part of this compartment which is called “the
loom” it attains an elevation of 34 feet, from which it
diminishes in height gradually as it approaches the sea,
into which it enters for some distance beyond low water
mark. In the western and central compartments all
the columns are perpendicular, but in the grand cause-
way they are vertical towards the east, inclining east-
ward as they approach the sea, and westward near the
base of the cliff. The three divisions of the causeway
comprise 37,426 distinct and perfect columns, besides
many that are broken and scattered about in its vicinity.
The columns consist of prisms of equal dimensions
through their whole height, which ranges from 15 to
36 feet, with diameters of from 15 to 28 inches, and
varying in their number of sides from 3 to 9, although
the greater number are pentagons and hexagons. Each
of the pillars is perfectly distinct, and almost invariably
differs in size, number of sides, and points of articulation
from the adjacent columns, to which, however, it is so
close that not even water can pass between them.
Almost every column is composed of several pieces, the
joints of which are articulated with the greatest exact-
ness, and in a strictly horizontal direction. Generally
the upper part of the section is concave and the lower
convex, but this arrangement is sometimes reversed.
The cavity or socket is perfectly circular, from two to
four inches deep, and in a few instances its rim is
divided, covers two or three articulations, and termi-
nates in sharp points. In a few of the columns no
joints are visible; in some, three, four, or more may be
traced; and, in “the loom,” columns are found which are
divisible into as many as 38 pieces. The basalt of which
these columns is composed is of a very dark colour,
approaching to black; its weight is three times as great
as that of water; and of 100 of its constituent parts,
50 are silicious earth, 25 iron, 15 argillaceous earth, and
10 calcareous earth and magnesia. About 300 yards
east of the causeway is the Giants’ Organ, about 120
feet long, consisting of 60 columns, of which those in
the centre are 40 feet high, but those on the sides are
lower. At the eastern extremity of Port Noffer are four
lofty and massive basaltic columns, rising to the height
of 315 feet; they are hexagonal and jointed, and from
their height and isolated position are called the Chimney
Tops. Near these is the Theatre, consisting of three
distinct colonnades, the successive tiers of which are
separated by horizontal strata of amorphous basalt, red
and grey ochre, and fossil coal, the alternations of which
with the columnar basalt produce a very extraordinary
and pleasing appearance. A little eastward of Port-na-
Spagna is a perpendicular cliff, 326 feet high, composed
of alternate layers of columnar and horizontal basalt,
arranged with surprising regularity; but the most pic-
turesque cliff is Pleaskin, which rises from the sea in a
gentle acclivity for more than 300 feet, and then ascends
perpendicularly 70 feet more to its summit. This beau-
tiful headland is 382 feet in height, and strikingly exhi-
bits the geological formation of this district, as it con-
sists of numerous clearly distinguishable strata, which
rise above each other in the following order; at the
base is a bright red ochreous rock, on which are placed
tabular basalt, grey ochreous rock, amorphous basalt,
clear red basalt, irregular basalt with cracks, iron
ore, imperfectly formed basaltic pillars, argillaceous