XX. An account of a volcanic hill near Inverness. In a letter from Thomas West, Esq. to Mr. Lane, F.R.S

Abstract

Dear Sir, As you seem desirous to have a more particular account of the lave, which I left at your house on my return from my tour in Scotland, I herewith send it you. At the same time I must own, that the little attention paid to so extraordinary a phenomenon, and which seems to prove beyond a doubt the existence of volcanos in this country, is to me matter of great surprize. The hill from whence I took the specimens of lava which I have the pleasure to send you, is about a mile and an half distant from Inverness, and is called by the inhabitants Creck Faterick, or Peter's rock: the lower part or it is chiefly ploughed up: the upper part is extremely steep, craggy, and very difficult of access, and appears to be to have evident marks of having been a volcano, as by much the greatest part of the largest rocks on it have been either strongly calcined or fuses, as will, I think, plainly appear by these specimens, some of which I picked up on the sides of the hill, others I broke off from the solid rock with a pick-axe (though not without great difficulty, on account of the extreme hardness of the rock); and other I dug out from the summit of the hill, at the depth of four feet, lying in a rich, light, black mould, which, after having been exposed to the air for some time, turned to a whitish ash colour.