an islet among the Hebrides, celebrated for its basaltic rocks and caverns, lies off the west coast of Mull, about 8 miles distant from it. It consists of an uneven tableland of an irregular oval form, about a mile and a-half in circumference, and the highest point, which is towards the south-west, reaches an elevation of 144 feet above the sea. The base of the island is a ledge of conglomerated trap-rock, above which rise basaltic columns, surmounted by a mass of basalt which has not assumed a columnar form. The lowest part of the island is on the eastern shore, and this is where visitors usually land on Staffa. From this point towards the south the principal objects of interest occur in succession. The first of these is the Clam Shell Cave, one side of which consists of large columns of basalt, carved like the ribs of a ship, or one of the shells from which it has its name, while the other side has, from the projecting ends of columns, a tesselated appearance somewhat resembling a honeycomb. Near this is the islet of Bouchaille, or the Herdsman, a very beautiful basaltic structure of a conical form, and of great symmetry and regularity. From this place a long colonnade of basaltic pillars extends as far as the entrance of Fingal's Cave, which is the most beautiful and sublime of all the basaltic wonders of Staffa. This cave extends back from its mouth 227 feet; its breadth at the entrance is 42, and at the inner extremity 22 feet. The sides are formed by perpendicular columns of great size, beautifully jointed and arranged in varied groups. The roof is beautifully marked with the ends of pendent columns, and has a deep fissure extending through its whole length parallel to the sides of the cave. The sea never leaves the cavern, and there is a depth of 18 feet at low water. The height of the roof from the mean level of the sea is 66 feet, and the cliffs above rise 30 feet higher. The singular resemblance of this magnificent work of nature to a work of art has called forth the well-known lines of Sir Walter Scott on Fingal's Cave:

"Where, as to shame the temples deck'd By skill of earthly architect, Nature herself, it seems, would raise A master to her Maker's praise."

The Boat Cave, which lies a little to the west of this one, is smaller, but even more symmetrical in its structure; it is 14 or 15 feet in height above high water, about 12 feet broad, and 150 long. The last cave of any beauty or interest is Mackinnon's, also called the Scart or Cormorants Cave, which approaches the dimensions of Fingal's Cave, but is less regular in its structure. There are various other caves in the island, but none of them so remarkable for size or beauty as those already mentioned. Though Staffa is green and fertile, it is entirely destitute of trees, and there is not a dwelling of any kind, even a hut, on the island.