. -SCOTTISH
Shetland.
6
jheUaft qfls p r in g ,e f expiringjX.eg§{&tU)nuan.ay Tierhap&«be.|A a a d tq
anfwci' this deferiptlqn.; ,v
T h e iflands ©f Shetland prefetit -another s giputLrijat^^^to^^icjfe of
Orkney i ^ itb ia ^M ai^ IIm d iO i: chief.iilapq inil&cghixe.
f a n d ^ ^ ^ h a o i g r ^ t e d fey thq 2eh: and, ia ^ a i^u t^ ^yT ex e tt miles.-in
length, b y aboutdep or-twelve miles J ^ ^d jb .f!,T h ej,{m jer
iue£ ajffi^^h^aTly fm a l l j^ t JweMV^ix axe ,f^id jg lje mhabjled^tJ^liQn
viewing thefe iflands in general, a wonderful ficene of rugged* blgak,
and barren rocks prefects ftfelf to |q u f view.*. Nq tree o r fhrufi isdo be
feem to relieve jthe eye an w andering pv^r t^faTdEgaxyjii^Aes. ' Spmep
times hptVeveya few fe ^ ity portions oTcultiyate(k^3unA,catcli-the^yh
o f the traveller, ^ £ ^ n g 3€^nq^ons' ^.pleafure,,_gndTdi^ing< 9. .ftpiMrig
eohtrajtjfia tJie ^ b aT ren h ^ th ^ fiv e jed ^m q u n ta ii^w ^ eh t& b t th em l'lE h e
weftern part .g refenVm an v fcqqes~as wijd^ and fieril-ebas man well',be
conceivoJ^^grey rocks riling fro p ilh p midft o f m a r ^ ^ S f p,G)ofa, land
.fh^ re ^bounqeH py awful leMreat fueeiplchsr & ja p t-fp l to r a if e lin E e
mind.ideas 6Fd.elblati.on an d dangeTT^-
“ 'T h e c M s are ip, general, rugged, and Btecipitous, -«refeMing in
many places fcepes' tru ly grand and magruncep t va f t rocks of gvairaps
heights, dreadfully ru g g ed 'an d broken, oppofing their rude fronts to
ml m eT u ry 'b f a tempeftuous ocgan j which in. lbfnc pfa( ^ / has|Erihc J
'great detached pillars, in other's- pas' excavated 'g ram f mtMal laromfs and
caverns that mock all. human magnificence; and ftri-ke - the beholder
with that awe and wonder, which muft affedt every one on viewing
thefe amazing wrecks of nature'.” 12' ~
' Such is the animated defcription o f a late writer.; who adds that the
eaft fide o f the Main Land, and other .Ifles, is comparatively low, but
the weft lofty and rugged. This'is well known to be the cafe with moll:
* We have luster chart!; of-the coafts of New Holland, than of the ifles of Orkney and Shetland.
- Captain Donndtty’s:'chart of flii ShetlanSfflSi~®lMs ef-rrMt accurate, in whiclithfe
Main find, eorreiponda in length twithtjlems, while hunfley-’s would give a length okalm-ofeiinet-y
miles. Yell and Unit, .feein alfo more .properly .difpofed^infCtiptrain .Donnellyfr map The
Ilanifli Captain Von l.bwenoni (Zach’s Geographieal Jpurhal, May, xyp9) found' tliaE the
. Shetland ifles were about eviettUrd -fherter ‘than reprefented in the Engli'lh inap,:!(t Brecon's);
.wliich alfo. puts the northern extremity ’half a degree7 further north, than if vyasefpun d by minute
. -obfervatiphs.. Lo.wenorn ^jliflfed a map of-thefe ifles, in 1,787..
I “ • Jamelron’ s.Min. p, 2, 3.. 8vo. ‘
mountains
207
moun|ams and iflands, b'ecaufe the winds and temp efts from the weft
have more power than thofe ’froni rhe oppofite quarter. The hills in
the Main Land run in three ridges, from N. to S.; they are generally
- round and of little he ight. Ronas, the higheft, ftands detached in the
N'.-W. c om |r o f the. Main L a n d ; and is about rjd óT e e t above the level
of the fea. Whew the fame writer attempts' to-eftablilh that all chains
of ïnótfnïaïns :run according tó;'iBb length-‘of th e . country, he efpoufes'
a mere theory in Oppofition to ttublooni fads. The mountains of
North America, tliè '.Uralian and foine other chains in. Siberia; . the -
tranfverfe chain through The centre o f Africa E. to W. all eftahlifh the
ebntrary pofitron. In Europe the mountains o f Spain, the. Alps, the
Carpathian mountains, and, not to-,crowd examples, thole of Ireland,
Scotland,, and even o f England, havè,nti,c.önne&ion with the length Of
ttféfgpóhtfy,^ g | ?IMn''|L ftrbhgér BoMïiefe
thébfy^th'air th'tfsfto-" rerrtovè w é n ‘möu'n-taïtó frdjh.rihéir'; féais; which
‘ pYöreeifw^vefy dir&^ichi^ befitFand térpiinsfte without- any vifible
cam# atid hWé'fhldbm ah^c?o|ine«php! w itB'thë förni.of a>-ckintFy, as
the"déftVutftiyé’"pojye'fs of nature' éxtémal and 'internal riflail mountains'
even moré than pïkinsv\7‘
v The h iw im S h if f l^ i %.¥b 'chiefty eompbfëd-df fand-ftp%é,’%recéiS''*&c. >
and fnjcaceöus, ;|ehiftus, vvSieh 'are feihetinies
expë»fë feó LiméftqnC'f&laffó'fbufïd and fomé'granite’• but on
thS(rWhfelié the mafs is argnaqeöus. A kind ofhfow.n^lwa.cken is. found in
Papa*StÖör; may alfo- be traced' fteatite,71 eafeedöniéArëd' jafper,.
and;>flu|A6^' Q.Qflfl'g,-, the 'm°ftmj i% ||rn ofathefe -ifle.s, appear
hills ofi-ferpfentine'T’ooiftainihg actinate,^labrador .hornblende, iremolite,
arid talc : h n d t ^ 'S h a w , m ^ ^ o f t ^ o r th é r h f p ó ïn f ©f 'this ifle, ahd' of
the Britiüh dominions,: confifts chiefly; o f■ igneifs.' JUfift alfo produces
iron-ftorie, jafper or rather feipentme, ■ pure - rock cryftals-, and garnets
of a'ri elegant -form. ’* This remote i.fle fuppliës black, oats, Angg, potatoes,
cabbagésj an d various garden roots and plants-, particularly delicate..'
artichokes."3 In general the granite,^ arid., micaceous fchiftus,
appear furthefti to-the north'and weft. Sappare- is found in thé S. W.
cliffs' df the Main Land f- arid it. is laid there are appearances of copper
' é: I
ScoVrsH
I sles. ■
an