The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-03-27
.F7' .ITI,' M
The Islo Of Man.

. lrlSh Sea called tho Isle of hIaa,. atJou
! which many travelled aud untrayele(
. Americans know scarcely moro than IL
=, name. On sunny day the highlands o.
, Ulster, in Ireland, md of Galloway, ID
Scotland, are visible from its western
shore, and from the summit of Snacfc ]
Mountain busy little England is seen fret
ting in the golden haze far across the sea.
1t is not much greater than Staten
Island IN area, md an ambitious Califnr-
Dinn might look upon it MS fair-sizntl
ranch. But small rs 1t is-a mere {. peck
on the mapof Great BrituiIl--itnas &: yGyy-
ernmcnt of its nwn, with n House of PatG
Lament, people infused with noble
! blood, and thrilling and cventful his
tory. Hawthorne found it out whiIoho
was consul Mt Liverpool, and has praised
It III the delicious prose of his English
R0te-i5ooksj Scott gathered material for
I'ererH Of The Peak from its romantic
scenery and legends; and Wordsworth
commem0ratcd visit to it in a sonnet
But it is not in these few litcrnry associa.
tions that its chief interest lies. Tho his
tory of its varied fortunes and the anccs-
try of its supcrstitious people have pc
culinr interest, dating as they do from tho
thrilling age when the Norscmcn were
| NliSnty III TIC WeSt. ' a.ft. 'ANa l;ef'4' r..
lnits greatest length the island meas
urcs about thirty-threc milos, and in its
greatest breadth about thirteen. It's cir
cumfcrcncc is about scvcnty-five miles,
excluding t!.e sinuosities of the BAYS; and
1t contains superficial area of about ono
hundred and thirty thousand acres, or
two hundred and three square miles En-
Joying the benefits Of the Gulf Stream,
tho climate is singularly mild and genial,
and there are few other places in the world
where the difference between summer and
winter is so slight. The mean tcmper2-
tnrc OF summer is usually about 5917
deg; of autumn, 40.07 deg. of winter,
4O.OO dcg.i of spring, 44.70 deg. There
is plenty of rain but very Littlo. snow or
frost. Fuchsias grow to the height of ten
or twelve feet out-of- doors, and are found,
mass mass OF crimson blossoms, in the poor
est gnrdens. As to the healthfulncss; of
the climate, you should sec, the native
girls. rosy-checked, plump, active, and
muscular and handsome race as ever
breathcd sca-air. ~ 80,
For the most pnrt the coast Is rocky
and wild, .hoar with the foam of the tur-
bulent sen that surrounds it, and inflcnted
with capAcious harbors and innumerablo
creeks; but in the north the land sinks
into low .pnsturage, and meets the water
on the glistening pebbles of smooth
beach, The interior includes oyery kind
of natural sccnery-henthcr-clad balsamic
hills, plains ms richly cultivated ns tho
downs of Surrey, wide 1eaclics of prickly
gorso as drcar as Yorkshire moore, and
the prettiGst of cascades. The enchant-
mcnt of Northern land dwells in its sub
dued light and on its. mist crowned
heights. s4 ..5zJslri
The vikings are fishermen now, and all
the grcnt treasure steamers from Liver
pool sail into the West without thought
or wish of evil toward them. Sleepy
villages arc perched on the cliffs where
once the beacon fires of the wrcckers lurcd
many a goodly ship to her doom. In tho
bays where The pirates hid themselves fly
tba white sails, of plcssure-l,oats. 80
great are the changes wrought by fine
that oven the spell of mist worked by tho
wizard King has been broken, and Il g sum-
lncr has its share of cloudlcss days. Tho
invaders nrc not Roman, Picts, SCOTS or
Scandinnvians, but aggressive tourists,
bearing knapsacks instead of eagles, and
walking-sticks instead Of javelns. These
confront you in nearly every part Of tho
islnnd, and the primitive character of tho
natives is fast changing under the town
manners which tho visitors bring with
them. Many Of the sup6rstitions hayc
been laughed away, and hospitality has
acquired fair money valuc. do not
mean to sny Tint there are no more gcner-
GUS hearts md simple minds in Mona.
An old iishcrman's wife entertained mo
with flour bread, salt fish, and tea, In her
hut at Creg-y-nccsh, and Indignantly
thrust Inc out of the only door In the
house when the meal was ended because /
offered her shilling. There arc not
few honest folks, too, who yet have
sisldfnst faith In mormaids and fairies
William II. Ridcing, in Hdrpcr's Nigga
sinc for March. -s