Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

STRATH. 415
improvement. The soil is often good, if it could be
attained; the bane and antidote are alike obvious; nor
is there any excuse when, as is the case here, the cover-
ing of peat is not thicker than a plough could cut through.
Hereafter, it may be turned loose in Strath ; and when-
ever that happens, this valley, waving with corn, will
wonder at its new dress.
Strath presents no small charms for a geologist ; but
indeed so few persons have seen statuary marble grow-
ing any where but in a lapidary's yard, that it deserves
the regard of all those who, in these days of universal
knowledge, can talk of Thorwaldsen, and Canova, and
the Parthenon, in dainty terms ; and of studios, and me-
topes, and hexastyle peristyles, and pronaos, and cella;
and who would faint at the sight of the ignoramus who
should say Phidias when he ought to say Pheidias. Here,
is a considerable quantity of this material, of a very fine,
even texture, and of a perfect white. Being much more
compact than Carrara marble, it is more hard to cut, and
would therefore cost somewhat more in the working.
But, in statuary, that is not of the same moment as in
architectural ornaments ; since the mere labour in the
former, bears a small comparative proportion to the time
required in adjustments and attention. The counter-
vailing advantage arising from the same cause, is, that
it does not retain that white mark from the chisel
which is the consequence of a bruise, and which is
technically called stunning. In fine draperies, and,
more than all, in bas-reliefs, this is a very serious de-
fect; because the bruised and white mark comes pre-
cisely where the deepest shadow ought to be; thus en-
tirely deranging the meaning and effect of the work.
Hence the marble of Sky is particularly adapted for
small works in basso, or indeed in any kind of relief.
The texture being compact and splintery, and not granu-