. The earth and its inhabitants ... 2 Miles. NORTHERN SCOTLAND. 343 If we include mere rocks, the islands dependent upon Scotland must benumbered by thousands ; but official statistics only mention 788 islands, ofwhich 186 were inhabited in 1871, or 4 less than ten years before. Thearchipelago, properly to be described by such a name, which lies nearest tothe Scotch coast, is that formed by the Orkneys, or Seal Islands, as theirIcelandic name has been rendered.* The distance between Duncansby Headand South Ronaldsha, the southernmost of the group, hardly exceeds 6 Firth, as the
. The earth and its inhabitants ... 2 Miles. NORTHERN SCOTLAND. 343 If we include mere rocks, the islands dependent upon Scotland must benumbered by thousands ; but official statistics only mention 788 islands, ofwhich 186 were inhabited in 1871, or 4 less than ten years before. Thearchipelago, properly to be described by such a name, which lies nearest tothe Scotch coast, is that formed by the Orkneys, or Seal Islands, as theirIcelandic name has been rendered.* The distance between Duncansby Headand South Ronaldsha, the southernmost of the group, hardly exceeds 6 Firth, as the separating channel is called, is dreaded for its currentsproduced by conflicting tides. Off Stroma boils the whirlpool of Swelkie, Fig. 168.—Holy Loch, and the rilted-up Loch of 1 : 100, 4° 55 Wo-TG 1 Mile. which a song of the ancient Eddas describes as a mill ever at work to grind thesalt of the ocean. During spring tides the current rushes along here with avelocity of ten knots an hour ; and in a tempest which raged in December,1862, the waves, dashing against Stroma, threw up stones and fragments of brokenvessels to a height of 200 feet. The strait was no longer wide enough for the passageof the Atlantic waters, and the sea advanced like a wall. Even in ordinary times the * Eichard Burton, Ultima Thule. Others translate, Islands of the Point (Thomas, XorthSea Pilot). 3U THE BIUTISII ISLES. waves are over the nortliera cliiis of the island, and f^ive birth to a brinystream flowing- southwards, on the banks of which the natives have erected a mill.* Twenty-seven of the Orkneys arc permanently inhabited, and about fortysmaller islands afford pasturage for sheep. In their contour these islands presentall the features of the coast of Western Scotland, and from
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
