The New York herald., 1874-08-12
THE ICELAND EXPEDITION
The Anglo-Ameriean Explor ers
Landed In the Orkneyx.
Reception at .ehe Ancient
Town OF Kirkwan.
WHIT to the Cathedral and the Celebrated
Ruin, The Maeshowe.
ON BOARD THE ALBION,

ON BOARD THE ALRION l
KIRKwALI. Orkney Islands. July N4P
We lett Aberdeen yesterday and arrived here this
forenoon. 1t Is quaint OLD town, with q fine har-
Dor and good anchorage. When It was founded
nobody seems to know, but IL was somewhere
away back In old Morse days. They were evk
IDENTIFY Christians, for they built q church. and II
was In consequence called Kirkevaag, which
simply signifies Church Bay. 1t is chiefly remarked
for Its grand old cathedral built in 1887 or IIss-
accounts difer-oy powerful Irol Ronald, and was
BY him dedicated to the patron saint OF orkney,
st. Magnus, wno when IN the nesh az q proper
man, was cruelty set upon and murdered some
twenty years before.
SIGHT SEEING ON LAND.
Az soon as l could get ashore hurried on to see
O, and, having other projects In view, We all
stopped by the way az q little comfortable looking
AOtel, whose proprietor promptly onered to be our
guide, and We followed him up TO the very top OF
the tower, through any number Of round galleries
and narrow, winding stairways. The view from
she sop was very nne. Below us lay the London
looking town. for all the houses built OF gran
ite. Round about lay . rolling country, clothed
with npcks Of sheep. but without trees for the
sea winds are 80 strong that no trees win grow.
Away beyond was the nne castle OF Belony, while
at our feet were the ruins Of the Bishops palace
and Of the Earl's palace. The Bishops palace
Ands quite memorable place in history, Tor
tt was here that, in 1885, after the
battle OF Torgs, King Hakon, or Haco. OF Dem
mark, took up his residence and died. The Earrs
palace, still in fair state OF preservation, is q
monument OF the tyranny and oppression of
Earl Patrick Straward, by whom the people here
abouts at that time were plundered and op-
pressed. 1t is gratifying to know that in the
end no had his head chopped on after the most
approved meJhoo Of the time
THE CATHEDRAL.
The cathedral itself is 22e feet long by So feet in
width, while the cross is 90 feet by 2s feet.
Originally the cross was precisely one-han the
length OF the nave, but 80 feet were added about
three centuries ago. This part is now used as
parish church, and Is partitoned on from the
great BODY OF the cathedral by wooden partition
and by being more decidedly Gothic the effect ls
Tn measure destroyed. The whole interior
saGns to the roof is very imposing. The
roof is Il feet above the door. The massive
OolumnA as well as the whole Of the church. are
OF red sandstone which is everywhere much
crumhled. The style is the early Saxon Norman,
and 1s regarded as one OF the finest specimens OF
that style IN existence. l would have fingered
BY the hour In this DID, grand work OF an
age which We cannot now comprehend, for when
this great pile was erected there could not have
been 500 Inhabitants here, to care for 1t or
1eudal times OF our traditional chivalry
gave Us all those architectural wonders, now
% often ruins, that excite our wonder and
admiration; but while beholding them we are
too apt to forget that they were erected at the
sacrifice OF the liberties OF the people, merely to
Eratffy the passing whim Of some powerful king
lord or baron. The churchwood, with its crumbled
and crumbling tombstOnes and slabs and monu-
Dents, on which could often not be traced q marK
or letter. and its newly made graves, was a place
Of peculiar interest; bur from ii FASTENED away
70 see the most curious and, in its way, perhaps
the most remarkable ruin in all Britain. This Is
the widely celebrated
MAEsHowE
It lies the Stromness road, nine miles away rom
Xirkwall, and hither we hed away over good
turnpike road, behind two funereal looking horses
with sore knees and eyes, and in q wagon that
gave me the best bouncing ever had in all my lhe
But there Is some compensation in the fine view
We had of the Bay OF Firth on the night, and OF
Wldeford Hill on the left, and then OF the long
stretches OF purple heather which met us here and
there, and the picturesque little matched huts and
villages. One OF these Finstone by name
seemed 70 have about 200 inhabitants,
who hyeh in the oldest looking old one
story stone huts, you could hardly call
them houses. Three good sized churches are
the three parsonages looked quite cosey and COM
Portable the only ones answering that description
we saw. The Maeshowe Is situated in the midst
Of plain which washes down to the sea From
che summit OF 1t we see mile away the stan ding
stones, supposed to be the work OF the Druids of
Old. Near by are the Loeb Of Stenness and the
xiely Tang Hills, beyond which lies The parish OF
Orphir, where was fought the famous battle OF
Bgswall, where numerous mounds mark the VIC
tory over the old Caithness invaders by the Orca.
MANS The Aaeshowe remains to the present
time
MYSTERY
TO everybody. Some think 1t one thing and some
another. 1t appears al a simple tumulus OF
Oonical shape, about 800 feet in circumference
and 90 feet In diameter, surrounded by trench
ABOUT 40 feet wide and from to 10 feet
deep. 1t is all overgrown with the finest Qrass
ana s about 40 feet above the general level
The interior Is the remarkable feature The stones
OF which 1t Is constructed are Of immense size and
have required extensive machinery to move them
and place them where they are The entrance in
the side Of the mound Is by q doorway feet
Z inches In width, and gives access to passage
"a feet long, which leads into chamber
16 feet square BY 13 feet high. On the sides are
cells Of smaller dimensions. The surface of many
OF the faces OF the stones is polished and carved
with Runic inscriptions. In one place there Is the
AgDre Of Q dragon, and below this Is a serpent
MONUMENTAL INsCRIPrfoNs
One OF The inscriptions has been translated
variously but the following is very likely cor
ect ;-"fhis sepulchral mound was raised for
the sons OF the deceased hero Todl-
rock. They were wise, brave and powerful.
Scarcely have there ever been men such as they
were In the Northwest Great funeral hOnors were
paid them" II this Todrock mentioned In this
epitaph was the famous
RAGkAR TODBRoCK,
tne erection OF this structure must have been In
the latter part Of the eighth or beginning OF the
ninth century 1t is probable that after the stone
stluctuIe was eSected IL was doubtless covered
over WIZ It's present immense load OF earth, taken
irom tne oltch which surrounds IL. Returning
tIoin tnls most interesting journey we hurried on
fesoyr 'Heady n Then hurry up the letters.
near the click OF the cham IN the nawsehole and