The Immeasurable Wilds: Travellers to the Far North of Scotland

Geology and Scenery of Sutherland: a rare overview by Henry Cadell

In 1886, only three years after the Highlands Controversy had been resolved, at least in principle, if not in detail, Henry Cadell published a book in the Sutherland Papers series called The Geology of Sutherland. Cadell was employed by the Scottish Geological Survey, and was one of the surveyors attempting to unravel the complex geology that was astonishing the scientific community at that time. The book was a very early attempt to explain to a non-scientific readership the new theories emerging from the survey, and it is a rare and valuable assessment of the geology of a county that , up to that time, had received little attention.

In 1896, Cadell produced what was in effect a 2nd Edition of this book with expanded contents and title: The Geology and Scenery of Sutherland. It was published by David Douglas in Edinburgh, and by this time, Cadell had left the Survey team. I recently obtained a copy of this very uncommon volume. Cadell states in the Preface "During the ten years which have elapsed since it [The Geology of Sutherland] appeared, many new discoveries have been made in the classic geological area of the North West Highlands. In consequence of these, a good deal of revision has become necessary,....... The booklet has ceased to give correct information on some of the subjects within its scope." One example of this incorrect information  was a revision of the age of the rocks: the discovery of the Olenellus fossil suggested that the Quartz and Limestone in the sedimentary layers were a good deal older than had formerly been thought. This took them out of Murchison's beloved Silurian period.

But the real importance of this little 2nd edition lies in the account of Cadell's experiments using materials such as plaster of Paris, sand, etc. in which he attempted to replicate the effect of lateral forces in a way that would help greatly an understanding of how the rocks had reacted to such forces. These experiments were highly successful. I therefore add those pages in full to this website: they speak for themselves, and give a clear account of the methods and results of Cadell's work.

I also display the plates included in the volume, which depict parts of the county, often from sketches by or after Cadell. Sadly, my copy lacks the geological map at the back, but I am still delighted to have found the book, for it is a rare item.