Semi-weekly south Kentuckian., 1886-04-27
A LONELY ISLAND.
\ nc Melancholy Isolation Of It--Sr. KildA
....,. and Its People.

...y. and Its People.
Standing in melancholy isolation in
the midst of the stormy Atlantic, 14O
miles from the mainland, the island Of
st. Kilda is nothing but a lonely and
desolate prison, and Its inhabitants re-
main in a state Of enforced and dreary
exile Cut of from all communication
with the outer world, except for their
two posts Il year, and visit from an
occasional stray vessel, revolutions
may agitate the world, wars may rage,
general elections may be decided, and
the st. Kildans be unaware that any.
thing important is going on. News
may travel to the most distant part Of
the Queens dOminions before it reaches
this corner of the British Isles. Things
are improving, however, even in ST.
Kilda. Now that only eight or nine
months elapse at the longest between
the visits Of the postman, the inhabit-
ants consider themselves tolerably
well posted up in news as compared
with the condition of things about fifty
years ago, when the minister kept
prayingthat his Majesty, King William,
might be granted health long to reign
over us, and be surrounded with wise
and trusty counselors, three years after
that gracious monarch was dead. l
SO little is known of St. Kilda that
eaily last year it was thought that the
rocky island which is only three miles
long and two broad, had been SUBJ
merged or carried away like huge
iceberg, by the waters of the Atlantic.
st. Kilda has been in trouble, but its
misfortune did not amount to complete
annihilation. Disastrous storms dis
tress the inhabitants. Although girt
round with rocks sometimes rising pre-
cipitously from the waves to the heighth
of two hundred feet, the wild tempest
uous ocean throws its angry spray over
the high cliffs, oversweeps the island
and destroys the crops which the peo-
pie try to raise. Last autumn the
whole of the crop was destroyed by
one Of these storms. With starvation
staring them in the face the distressed
inhabitants sent message after message
adrft in the hope that some would be
found and assistance sent them. One
of these messages was picked up
toward the end of September, and
through Sir William Collins of Glas-
gow,j and Principal Rainy relief ex-
pedition was fitted out and the food
was landed, though as the vessel ar
rived on Sunday these simple folks de-
clined to give hand in discharging
the cargo until Sunday had passed
The Captain of the vessel swore and
pointed out that q change Of wind
would compel him to put to sen. go,
then," replied these stern people. The
minister said he could not guarantee
the continuance of fair weather, "but
he trusted that the same Providence
which had put it into mems hearts to
send them corn and potatoes would
keep the wind steady in the northeast" "
And Providence was kind, for the wind
remained steady in the northeast.
The st. Kildans are seventy-seven in
number They have decreased in mum.
ber lately because of a singular NOR.
tality among the children, the majority
of whom die before they are many days
old. This may be due to the system oi
intermarrying that goes on, or because
there is no doctor to combat with the
mysterious baby foe. There are only
one or sometimes two births year.
Rev. John Mackay, who ministers to
the spiritual wants OF the people, tries
to do little incidentally, but his pre-
scriptions are confined, us rule, to a
poultice and a hot-water cloth. The
community includes schoolmaster.
There are about fifty cows and one
thousand sheep, which are common
property; but there are no horses, that
animals work being relegated to the
female St. Kildans. The minister's
watch keeps time for the whole island,
and, when informed by the men of the
Hebridean that his watch was tive
hours fast, he chuckled over the fact
that he could thereby bring the con.
gregation together at nine instead OF
eleven o'clock, while he only was aware
Of the pious fraud The houses of the
people were tolerably good; Mcleod,
Of Mcleod, to whom this unprotitable
piece of property belongs, having i'm,
proved the buildings recently.
The great occupation Of tho people ia
catching sea-fowl, 70 From March to
November the island is covered with
sea.fowl, and catching these birds is
the staple industry. Multitudes of solan
geese cover the rocks; there are
myriads of gulls, northern divers,
stormy petrels, black, solemn cormo-
rants and simple guillemets, and,
indeed, almost every kind of sea-bird.
The difficult work of climbing about the
rocks catching the birds is engaged in
by both men and women. Enormous
numbers Of fowls are sent off every
year. Then great deal is made out Of
feathers. Referring to this subject,
DR.. MacCulloch, in his account of the
island, says: The air is full Of feathered
animals, the sea is covered with them,
the houses are ornamented by them,
and the inhabitants look as if they had
been all tarred and feathered, for their
hair is full Of feathers, and their
clothes are covered with feathers. The
women look like feathered Mercuries,
for their shoes are made of gannet's
skin. Everything smells Of feathers
Pail Mall Gazette. '..'.''a .'.t.-