The Republican journal., 1872-11-14

| Will lcdiS duNl UlldukSOlVlu I6CcIV0 LuS
bells from this their fifth voyage acros.
the Atlantic, and hung them up in St
Michaels steeple. May they never agar
be removed by the rough hand of war, OF
ever sound aught but peace on earth anC
goodwill toward men!
A Voyage to the Shetland Islands.
From the Philadelphia Ledger
Curious and interesting facts and notes
reach the world, when some obsure OF
forgotten corner is made to furnish its
share of the public information and amuse
ment. To "Rob Roy Macgregor," as he is
familiarity called, that portion of the read
ing public who appreciate travel and ad-
venture, is indebted for several charming
journals of voyages, made alone in boat
which he calls canoe. In some of those
excursions his craft, though carrying him
self alone arises almost to the dignity of a
yacht. In others, the voyager has had q
mere canoe; but be the vessel of what
description it may, its name is always the
| same
''THE ROB ROY"
And Rob Roy is Mr.. Macgregor's sigma
ture when he writes for the London Times,
as all Britons of any pretensons are
bound to do, once or ottener in their lives
His title page designation, when he makes
a book, is j. Macgregor, M. A. Having
in previous years "done" the coasts and
rivers of Central Europe, the Baltic Sea,
and coasts of Sweden and Norway, the
English Channel, the Jordan, Nile, Red
Sea, and Sea of Galilee, Rob Roy has ex-
| plored this season the Shetland and Ork-
ney Isles. The canoe in which the Shet-
lands were circumnavigated, and their
inlets and lakes visited, is the seventh of
| the name "Rob Roy" and least of them
all, being twelve feet in length and sixty
pounds in weight. Mr.. Macgregor ''took
steam"
FROM CNDON TO THE SHETLANDs,
not in his canoe, but in regular packet.
and launched his canoe amid the delight
OF the islanders, who had never seen so
neat craft and so we'll appointed The
boats of the islanders are of the Norwegian
build, and are precisely the same in size,
in rig, and in the gear of their oars as the
three lonely boats which Mr. Macgregor
saw on the Sea of Galilee. Mr.. M.
found also in the Shetland water mills of
the simplest pattern, like those still used
in Syria. These condolences are curious.
and the traveller who can observe and
remember is often struck with points of
resemblance least expected between the
customes of different and distant people.
The ladies, the world over, are interest
ed in Shetland wool, and admire the
brilliant knitted fabrics which come from
the tar-oH isles, one of which was the
Ultima Thule of the Romans.
A CURIOUS HISTORICAL LEGAND
is connected with the Shetland wool.
Three hundred years ago man war
belonging to the Spanish Amanda was
wrecked on one of the islands. The
sailors who escaped taught the natives to
make brilliant dyes from roots which they
found, resembling those used for the pur-
poses in Spain. Those persons who now
wear bright Shetland knit "comforters,n
are unconsciously wearing mementoes of
the failure of the ''invlncible" fleet which
sailed forth to awe, if not conquer Queen
Bess, but met with disastrous defeat
from the elements. Mr.. Macgregor saw
more positive memorial in cannon
from the same ship, which does duty as a
hitching post. Its calibre will receive
ball three inches in diameter. This would
make Il small show beside one of the
modern missiles. The knitters of the
Shetland wool, by the way, have no need
OF the exercise of the gymnasium, or of
the lessons in "calisthenics" which yary
the 'fancy work" of American and English
misses. They cut peat and carry it home
from the bog in a basket on the shoulder,
and when they return with the empty
basket they knit as they walk.
The Spanish. acquaintance Which began
so many years go is still kept up.
THE STAPLE aRr1cLE EXPORT
from the Shetlanas is c4 Fed Goldfish, and
Of this Spain takes htke larger portion.
Captain Macgregor n little Spanish
schooner, scarce, AS hft4Qught. seaworthy,
which had made 1FelStk annual trips to
the Shetlands fofits fisfkcargo. Other
fish are aken, tt the codeare the main
the .'fishina banks" being bear 1.-THE the
islands, thefurthest only about fifty miles
distant. These fishing boats are IS feet
long by 6 feet beam, and pulled by six
oars. In the summer nights, when you
can read fine print at midnight. the fisher
men HE away to the banks They fasten
fishing lines to the ends of the oars, and if
a big fish gets hold toss the oar over for
him to play with until he gets tired. If
not as scientific, this is a more leisurely
sport than playing with trout Other
exports are knit shawls, chrome yellow.
and some cattle.
SHETLAND PONIES
once to be bought for S15 head, are now
quoted at $50. These little hardy creatures
have been introduced into coal mines.
They are employed to drag the coal
through the low galleries, in which Children
on all-fours were once employed.
AS Dutch,a well as Spanish, vessels fire.
quent this out-of-the-way region, it may
readily be guessed that schnapps and
tobacco and other like commodities evade
the Queens revenue. In many things
the Shetlanders are law unto themselves
A medical officer who was sent to vacci-
nate the inhabitants of one of the islands
was driven off by the women. He pre-
sumed to exact fee, but the enraged
danes said that 'the Queen had promised
that their BARNS should be scratched for
naithin." So they expelled him ignomini-
ously.
THE SHETLAND ISLES,
about thirty in number, contain popula-
ton of about 10000. In morals and in
telligence, primitive as are their customs,
they rank very high. Communication
with the larger world is, however, making
them discontinued, and emigration is be-
ginning to reduce their numbers. They
may be welcomed anywhere if Mr.. Mac
gregor's summary of their character is
correct: ''Verily, these Zetlanders,
cross between the canny Scot and the
hardy Norseman, whose feet are cased in
leather sandals. corded with Irvine, have
plenty of heart and plenty of brains"