ROCKING STONES.

Waikato Times, 22 February 1873, Page 3

ROCKING STONES.

I>' many parts of the world arc found huge stones or rock*, bo poised on a narrow base that they rock to and fro under •light moving force. Sometimes the rocking or " logging" is caused by the wind only, without direct human contact, but generally muicular or mechanical forco has to be applied. Ono ofthe most familiar examples is the Locnn. or Loosing Rock, in Cornwall near the promontory of Castle TYeryn. This stone, which attracts numerous visitors, is sixty or seventy tons in weight, and so nicolv poised that a person can easily set it in motion. Dr Borlase, the Cornish antiquary, fully described the rock, adding that it was " morally impossible for uny le^cr, or indeed force, howevor applied in a mechanical way, could romovo it." This statement \\«s put to the test by a young officer of tho navy, Lieutenant Goldsmith, said to bo a grand-nephew of Olivpr Goldsmith. He wob in command of a cutter in the neighbourhood, and with ten or twolve of his men threw the rock offits balance, and sent it rolling toward the sea, where it woultl have been lo*t, but that & chasm intercepted it. The exploit justly gavo great oft'ence to tho neighbourhood, and tho raischievors prank heing reported to the Admiralty, the young officer kiu compelled to replace the rock This was not done without much labour and exertion, and Ihe aid of" machinery from the dockyard at Plymouth. Sir Davis Gilbert and others subuc.ubod'for th» fund necessary to restore the rock to its oite and the lieutenant to the good books at hendquarter?. For gome time afterwards chains and other protect ions were used, but these have long since boon removed. Tho stone, howevor.does not" log" «o well as it did previous to it§ overthrow There aro several other rocking utones equally remarkable, though familiarly known, in Cornwall. In " A Week on the Land's End," by J. T. Blight (Longmans), there is notice of one on Bosistow Island :— ' The rugged rock south of Cairn les Boel is Bosistow Island, on which numerous gulls, cormorants, and other soa birds build. Ginning the summit of tho acclivity we pa«i along the edge of tho Bosts tow cliff and enter Pendower (' the head of the water 1 ) Cove. Tho green turf slopes down ploasan-lv towards the sea, and standing on the highest part is a very excellent Logan Bock. It was discovered to possess the quality of 'logging' accidentally, by a man who «as employed, in watching the coast for the lord of the mnnor. A tcsul had been wrecked in the covo immediately bolow, and whilst engaged' in his duty, he leaned against a mass of rock, which, to his astonishment, ho found in motiou ; tho oscillation having been produced'by the force of tho wind. This stono is in tho form of an irregular |janillcl*>nippd for a somewhat more than half its length, and then it slope* away in a wedge-like shape to its north-east ang'o The length of the longest side is about fif-een feet, and its thickest md about twenty feet in circumference. At a rough calculation, allowing for tho irregularities of tho surface, it niav bo computed to contain about three hundred cubic feet, and to weigh about tvrentv tons It is very e-isilv set in motion. J h.a,- 1 seoa it ' logged ' by the wind. Kecking itonos fre*

quently occur amongit the tabular and cubiform masses of granite in this district, but they only attract attention win » of considerable magnitude." Among the lakes of Killavnoj the tourist will remember a mms of stone culled " The Balanca Rock." It » about twenty-four feeb in circumference. To this rook iloore refers, when he hU'iia tho rockhfg stone to tho poot's sensitive he.irfc, which thp hl.ghtest touijli alone seta moving, but all earth's power could not bhako fi-om its base, — Lelcurf Hour