sight. I immediately recognised Wick Castle,
in Caithness, standing upon a rocky peninsula,
and we soon descried Wick itself.
From Sleigo, an adjoining village, we took
on board two pilots, and, with great rapidity,
passed the three extraordinary conical
and insulated rocks, called the Stacks of
Duncansby. Here, we calculated that we
had run seven hundred miles, and six hundred
and twenty-two of these in three days.
The Orkney Islands were, in a great measure,
obscured from our view, as we dashed
through the Pentland Frith, by a thick fog,
in which most of them were enveloped. We
could, however, distinguish Stroma, South
Ronaldsha, and Hoy, and, in the latter island,
the hospitable seat of Colonel Moodie, at
Melsetter. Opposite to it, on the Caithness
coast, whilst viewing the venerable residence
of the Earls of Caithness, I recollected the
hearty welcome and kind assistance that
Mr. Borrer and invself received there, from
the present hospitable proprietors, but nine
months before, when we were rambling over
these northern parts of Scotland. Near to
Mey Castle was the Church of Caninsby,
and, on the opposite side, the steep cliffs of
Dunnet Head. When we had got out of
the frith, a clearer atmosphere gave us a view
of the Paps of Caithness, in the south-east:
in the south, was the tine conical hill, called
Ben-y-Graeme; and, in the south-west, the
great mountains of Ben Hope and Ben Luyal,
in Sutherland. No sooner had we passed the
frith, and got to the westward of the Orkney
Islands, than we were becalmed, and continued
so for two days ; Hoyhead and the Old
Man of Hoy, a singular rock near the shore,
being most of the time in sight. On the
Thursday, Thursday, a Tringa, which appear-
June 8. ecj t0 me a new SpecieSj flevv on
board quite exhausted, and was taken. From
this time calms or bad winds, and frequently,
heavy squalls, attended us, so that we made
but slow progress. About the hour of mid-
Wednesday, night, on the 14th, we descried land
in the horizon, or rather snow, for,
as we approached it, we could discover nothing
but mountains of prodigious magnitude,
covered on every side with snow, and
most distinctly seen, from being backed by
a dark cloud, though at the distance, as we
computed, of fifty miles. On the highest •
ridge of these w mountains were some hueO'e