Part of a Letter from Sir R. B. S. R. S. to Dr. Lister, concerning the Giants Causway in the County of Atrim iu Ireland

whence the Male its self was produced. So that the first essential beginnings of things which are incomprehensibly small, will be always hidden from us. IV. Part of a Letter from Sir R. B. S.R.S. to Dr. Lister, concerning the Giants Causeway in the County of Atrim in Ireland. Old Bawn, Apr. 24. 1693. Concerning the Giants Causey. Prolixity in a Philosophical Description I'm sure you'll pardon; for I was very exact in getting it from a person that was rei compos, perhaps peritus; a Scholar (a Master of Arts in Cambridge) and a Traveller, who went on purpose the last Summer with the present Bishop of Derry to see it. It is in the County of Antrim, about 7 Miles East of Colrain, and 31 Miles to the East of the mouth of the River of Derry. The Coast there is a very great height from the Sea, but rising gradually on the Land side to the edge of the Precipice, it is all cover'd with an excellent sweet Grass; when you come to the Precipice, there is no going down there it is so perpendicularly steep, but with much Labour and some Hazard it may be climb'd up. By other ways and windings one comes down to the Strand; in which, from the foot of this Precipice, there runs out Northward, into the Main Ocean, a raised Causeway of about 80 foot broad, and about 20 foot high above the rest of the Strand; its sides are perpendicular, it went on above two hundred foot to the Sea-Water; that is, it was so far in view; but as he was there told, it did not advance much farther, under the Superficies of the Water. This whole Causeway consists all of Pillars of perpendicular Cylinders, Hexagones and Pentagones, of about 18 and 20 Inches Diameter, but so justly shot one by another, that not anything thicker than a Knife will enter between the sides of the Pillars. The Pillars do not consist of Joints, as you were informed, but each Cylinder is one solid piece, only indeed in breaking it breaks cross-wise or Horizontally, and not length-wise, which we commonly call splitting; and it is by its thus breaking, that the Texture of the middle of the Cause-way is discovered; for pieces have been broken from many of the Cylinders that are in the middle, (pieces of unequal lengths) whereby one sees (so deep) the perpendicular sides and edges of the circumjacent Cylinders. [Pardon the Impropriety of the Word.] That the Cylinders do not consist of Joints, is manifest from this, that the pieces so broken off, have their bottoms as often convex or concave as flat and even; and many such pieces there are lying loose upon the Sand of the Shore, which the Sea has washed down from it. When one walks upon the Sand below it, the side of this Cause-way has its Face all in Angles, the several Cylinders having some two, some three or their sides open to view. This Gentleman, tho' he had no Notion of Astroites, yet believes them all to be natural, because there is no other sort of Stone or Rock there: Nay, that very vast high Precipice does consist all of Cylinders; tho' some shorter and some longer (whereby you may now understand it not impossible to climb it up, as by steps, tho' irregular ones) and all the Stones that one sees on that Coast, whether single or in Clusters, or that rise up anywhere out of the Sand, are all Cylinders, tho' of never so different Angles; for there are also four-squared upon the same Shore. This Cause-way runs out into the Northern Ocean. Ocean, having no Land over against it anywhere. This is all I can now tell you of it, and from this imperfect Description you may form what Queries you think fit. I dare not promise you that I shall go to see it this Summer (it being full Seventy Miles off) tho' I have a great Temptation as well as Desire so to do; but if I do not, I can get your Queries well answered upon the place. V. The Relation of a Storm of Thunder, Lightning and Hail at Oundle in Northamptonshire on the 20th of March 1693. By Mr. W. R. The Day on which the Storm happened was the 20th of March; the Day was stormy, as the Weather had been some time before; but about eight at Night there arose a very violent Gust of Wind, at South-West, which lasted an hour and half, till the Thunder-clap was over, during which time it rained very fast. A quarter of an hour, or thereabouts, after Nine, fell a mighty Storm of Hail intermixed with Rain, which lay very white, and some depth on the ground, and to me appeared to have Snow mixed with it. During that Storm happened the Lightnings, which were but two Flashes, but very violent and strange; it had hailed near a quarter of an hour before the Lightning; it was extraordinary blew, and of a Sulphureous Smell. It seemed to stand still in the House some considerable time, and was so great, that a Gentleman who sat below stairs, thought that the House had been on Fire above, and that