The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-08-25
Orkney and shetland.

There is no place so near home, in our
estimation, where one can obtain so
complete a change of atmosphere, phys
zeal and social, as in Orkney and Shet-
land. But we could not give greater
offense to the people of eiCher group
than by cOnfounding the two, and treat.
ing them as identical; they are to each
other as Jews and Samaritans, and, in
deed, differ in many respects. The
Oroadians as whole are much further
advanced, more civilized, indeed, than
the Shetlanders. Their islands are
much more favorable for agriculture,
which is quite as advanced there as in
any other part of Scotland, and there is
a pervading feeling of comfort and cul-
ture not to be found among their more
northerly kinsfolk. Everybody seems
fairly well off, well clad and respecta-
blei the people seem quite up to the ay-
erage in intelligence and education, and,
if we may Judge from statistics. morally
stands at very high level. There is a
very substantial air about the Orcadians;
even in their speech there is solidity
and grip uncommon anywhere else.
The Orkney accent is peculiar and I'M
mistakable, though to some ears dis
tinctly pleasant. 4 A few old Morse
words still linger among the people,
and the use of " thou and thee for
"you," is quite common. But the
islands themselves, treeless and heath
clad as they are, have many attractions
for those who love strange combinations
of light and sea and land. The coast
scenery in Hoy and on the west coast OF
the mainland is unsurpassed in stu
pendous grandeur, and even the
rounded slopes of most of the
islands have soft beauties of their
own under cloudless sky. Then
the antiquities-th old broughs, the
standing stones of Stennis, the strange
mounded chamber with its runes at
Maeshorne, the ruined castles of older
days, the quaint architecture of Kirk
wall and Stromness, and many similar
objects, make up group of interests
which will render week in Orkney
pleasant and profitable. Every sum
mer the number of tourists is increas-
ing. and the excellent steamers which
sail twice a. week from Granton are
often crowded, Shetland, again, is
wilder, more rugged, more volcanic
like, and even barer than Orkney.
Much OF III is sWampy anu uncultlyaDle,
the hills are rugged and gnarled, the
land cut up with narrow woes miles
long, like the f;ords of Norway, and the
people are sadder and softer and poorer
than the Orcadians. Indeed, even now
the people are kept down TO poverty
by the truck system, and they have the
aspect of having been long Subject to
oppression. Their speech is curiously
soft and almost feeble as contrasted
with that of Orkney, their houses are
little better than mud huts, and their
agriculture is only one remove from a
state of nature. Nevertheless they have
many fine points about them; the men
are often stalwart fellows of the genuine
yellow-b bearded Morse type, and with
fair play might be made much of. an
tiquities there are here too of various
kinds, and much more of the fishing
aspects of life than in Orkney, More
over. the salmon and trout angler will
find in the many lochs and streams in
the north mainland an almost virgin
ield.-LondoB Times.