aoS
ScOTIS H
ISI.ES. ’
S C Q T L A N D.
in the, fame quarter. I t was jn the .form of p y rites, .and was worked
for fome time, till the vein gradually decreafed and was jibandohea.14
W h at is. called the bpg ore o f irpn.feqnis to abound, iri T^tlar^ and o f
excellent,, quality.*5-
^.The idimate of, the Shetland ifles is variable*,-and,. difturbejLjyith
rains.'and thick fpgs,< The , frofts* are . field om fevere, 2nd, fn ^w ^E ely
continüesdong on the ground, f h e inhabitants, are indçfed fufliçj.ently
wretched, -withquf additional evilç ; and a ben^yqfetit .gqy.emtoent
ought to pay, a particular attention,to thole diftant prifoners. The cor-
rufCations o f the Aurora >Borea.lis illuminate tjiejlqng gloonj,^£.wjuter,
and delight the inhabitants, who calLthem, merry i^ncers.,; 'nrT,hÿ',MAl&
land is moftly near the coaft, and pro dupes4>^cp^rfei’kincf o fjp ^ i , kn d
bigg, potatoes have lately formed an- addition^g&^gg^dar a d v a iÿ ^ e ;
but turnips, parfnips, and carrots, -are cotvfined^tq^theggMdens^Algen-
tlemen. The chief-food o f the inhabitants c o n f t j ^ ç ^ f i ^ , aïift.V(«mnus
kinds o f fea fowl, which cover th e ro e k s :' the jcapftms, dÇ*,tfie.iaftjhew
lingular ftill and intrepidity, and often, meet w ith ^ viplgm fate amidft1
the ftupendous precipices. | The cattle >rather larger than thofe nfcip)rV-
ney, and the buttpr excellent i f properly prepared.. Sheep 'are,'not Uncommon,
and have beer» recently praifed for th.e finenefs âf;the iifè é c e.
; jf t Jamefon, p. 21..
15 S. A . xiii. 283. From Mr. Jamefon’ s Mineralogy o f the Sfcptilh Ifles (arvols-L^to.)' it appears
that A ilfâ cpnHHschiefly o f mingled hornblende and felfpar : Arran, pf reffilifli'TamGHone, f i e
Shetland; with veins "of . bafalt and pitch-ftone; but' Goatfell- préféras micaceous fehiHus’ and
granite, with yellow éryflâls, or mock topaa.es, commonly fold as Cairngorm Hones. Bute,,
fimilar. Hay, liméflone, • with granular quartz. Jura, granular quartz, with veins o f bafalt : this
granular quartz is b y Kirwan called arenaceous-quartz, or primitive fllice'oiis fand-Hone. Sell
Hate ; Lifmore, limeftone, with bafalt. Mull has much bafalt, with fand-(lone,'/fimeftone, See.
in the S. W . beautiful granite, Icolm-lcill, m o flly granite, and, hornblende; i^ick, with one
quarry o f marble. CoU, gneifs, with granite. T irey , hornblende rock, gneifs; arid bafalt , with
a quarry o f beautiful marble. E ig , bafalt, with limeflone, &c. 'Rhum, fed fand-florie, with veins of
bafalt ; mountains, hornblende, and felfpar. Canna balaltic ; that at Compafs-'hill affefts the
needle. Sk ey , bafalt, with hornblende, liméflone, & c . Rafa, fand-flone,_and beautiful porphyry,
with a blue bafis.
T he exterior chain o f the weHem Ifles, was notvifited hy Mr. Jamefon ; but Leuis feems to
abound in lime-Horie, while Bernera is faid to 'conliflrof amianthus.
T h e Orkneys confiH almoflentirely o f fand-Honè, ma fly and fphiflofe : at Skcil, on'HËé f Ï
o f the Main Land, thefand-flone, which looks rufly,' as iffligktlyimpiieghatfd with, iron, is; worn
(as already mentioned) into many Angular forms, by the' affion o f the weather, a circumflancc
which has greatly imprelfed tlié old defcribers o f the Orkneys. A few miles around Stromnefs
are granite, gneifs, micaceous fchiHus, and hornblende.
The
Th.e horfes have mettle and beauty, and on • account of the lingular
minutenefs of their fize have become objeds of luxury and curiofity in
England. T h e fwine faré fmall, and little propagated becaufe they
injure the paitures ; an evil eafily obviated by the Ample p radice of putting
a ring Through the nofe. t J
Lerwick, the chief town or rather village, Hands on an excellent har-
bo'^tlifited Braffa S a ù è ^ ïfb im e d by-théJittledfle, o f Braffa on the eaft
o f the Main la id ,1 and formeflyvgreatly,frequented by the D utch fifliers,
Lerwick i&Jui irregular VïÓagc, pfcEC&feoh. rocks,; aijd Contains about
150 families. - Near it is ^ n e jp ^ h o f ^ r ^ ^ ÿ f i c e s c'alled Piks houfes,;
andTeveràl o f c s appear in t^e; ifles' o f Shetland, particularly in Fetlar :
th'ehen.s alfo a TQck ahqux^ing, with iro n o r e which affects the compafs.
^% iilm efnhgs a lpW 'o l^M e f la n ^ ln vaft columns, ‘ in Ifih tnqnth ó f
T u n ^ a lte rin g , the very ap'j5e‘a\^t:e''0ffthte'ihcean, which ripples like a
cufreht. ' Thefe. columns have been computed tó extend five or fix
^ 8 l^ '5 i" le h g th h y three o r'fb u f breadth^'and1 in h rig h t weather fè-^
yThey ■ afterwards* divide-.to the
E. and* "WL 1of'Great* Britain^* fiîr mihing a providential fupply of food to.
ifoW M e h ld if tf ia sV • T h e ’cSief-éxports'of Shètland are fifh of various
k ih a è ^ fiié fly hCTrjngsY^ceîâ^îih^ and" turft# or tu f t. The, iô.habita#ts;
o f the^Shqtland 'ïfl;airids--iift 1 ygfgytdire computed at 2.0,186^: more than
tK'ë’x&tfnïrÿ caih-^éHiiipgottj efpecialiy in the, prefealxfl^ft^fiPy. p f in -
teïebuffe^witE th e D utch. They have* of. late .become a d d l e d to th ^
life- of* tea ' and -fpirituouS liquors, which will infallibly, contribute to
leflen the population. ' In this diftant region there, are neither roads
nor bridges, which may be pronounced the firft fteps in any country
towards the progrefPof induftry, The* fame deficiency occurs in the
Orkneys, and even in the Northern extremity of Scotland ; where
■ however a road has been recently opened between Ullapqol and Dornoch.
' T h e Swifs form roads even in the Alps; and the
Scotilh Highlands do not offer more infnperable b r i e f s to t fh& moft
etfential of all improvements.
f Stat. keei xi. 612,.
S cottsu
I sles.
Lerwick.
VOI» I . EE