356

HISTORY OF ENGINEERING.

Book I.

/'S,STORE HOUSE

["[level or oooft step

LOW WATER

Jura Small Isles pier, situated between the ferries of Lagg and Feoline, and constructedunder the direction of his Majesty’s commissioners, is extremely well executed, and can beapproached at all times ;the double bend given toit secures the safety ofpassengers landing at alltimes. The width at topis 16 feet, and the twofaces are carried up withsquared stone.

There are two very fineharbours on the east sideof the island, that to thesouth, where the above pieris situated, and another tothe north, called Lewland-man’s Bay : they are with-in a few miles of eachother ; the island of Jura,

30 miles in length, and 7miles in breadth upon anaverage, is the most ruggedof the western group, beingcomposed of rocks piledone on the other, in mostadmired disorder: Mr.

Pennant, who ascendedBienn-an-Oir, with con-siderable difficulty, de-scribes the grandeur of theprospect from the summit.

Sir Joseph Banks found theheight of Bienn Sheuntato be 23,59 feet above the

Fig.35D.

SMALL ISLES PIER.

level of the sea, and Bienn-an-Oir, 2420 feet. The stones forming these mountains arewhite and red granite, and the shores are covered with a fine sand, great quantities of whicharc annually carried away in vessels employed for the purpose, to be used in the manu-facture of glass. In this island are several cairns, rude obelisks, and duns; the climate,like that of the other western

isles, is extremely moist: the elevation

winds blowing from the west areloaded with vapour, drawn fromthe broad surface of the Atlanticocean , and when they are inter-cepted by the high lands, therain often descends in torrents;but although the climate is ap-parently so unfavourable, thereare instances of great longevityamong the inhabitants. GillourMac Craen is said to havekept 180 Christmasses in his ownhouse; he died in the reign ofCharles I .

At Feoline we have an admi-rable specimen of a stone land-ing-place for all states of the tide.

Upon a base of not more than50 feet are two inclined planes,with a jetty dividing them, in-tended to be used at high water,and to protect, those landingfrom boats at either high or lowwater; when the wdnd blows

from the south, the lofty jetty ...

3 J , 3 Fig . 3C0. PEOLINE.

screens the north landing-place,

and so with that on the other side when the wind is in the contrary direction.

4 6.6