The morning call., 1890-12-21

Ing these remote islands easy Of access.
from Edinburgh OF Glasgow they may now
be reached by rail to Thurso, and steamer
to the Orkneys, in eighteen hours time. Or,
by steamer skirt the eastern Scottish coast,
touching at Wick, in Caithness, and Kirk
wall, In the Orkneys, and reach Lerwick.
the capital of Shetland, in twenty-four
hours time from Aberdeen.
The latter is a coasting trip full Of Incl
dent and interest, as the coast of Scotland is
nearly always in sight. Leaving Aberdeen's
harbor-nouth of the River Dee, q half-hour's
sail brings you abreast of the great Slams
Castle, the seat of the Earl of Enrol, where
Dr. johnson and Boswell were entertained
in 1773, one Of the grandest situations on the
entire eastern coast. Then for long dis
tance the coast is reach OF soft, honey
coined scaur, assuming at frequent Intervals
the appearance of Gothic RUNS with open
arches. This leads to the famous Buffers
Goarers) Of Buehan, tremendous caverns in
the preeipitous sea-wall. where in high gales
the waters rush in with terrific violence,
while their roaring, mingled with the Shrek
ing of sea-fowl, which build along the edge
of Dun Buy in myriads, give the spot as
doorous and dreadful sounds as those greet
ing the doomed Vathek in the awful realms
of Eblis. Beyond the ''Bullers," to the
north, the noted red granite
QUARRIES OF PETERHEAD
Come IN sight. and but four miles farther is
the City of Peterhead, olden seat of the
Greenland trade, now given over to ship
building and fishing. the easternmost town
IN Scotland, dominated. with its fiat sur
rounding country, by the bleak hill of Mar
mond. rearing its lone and n-shaped
head in the northwest horizon.
Fraserburgh, one of the great east-coast
nshlng ports, Is next passed, when the
course is changed and your steamer crosses
the 80 miles wide mouth of the great Moray
Firth, headed for Wick, the northeasternmoSt
SCOTTISH port. Aberdeen, Peterhead and
Wick are, outside of Shetland. the most i'm
poriant fishing ports of Scotland, and in sail
ing from the former to the latter, fully 1000
craft may be counted in pleasant weather.
AT Wick, where the gigantic breakwater, on
which nearly half a million dollars was ex-
pended, Is IN runs, landing passengers and
freight is dangerous business in winter.
Lighters are employed and the huge ones
Tor freight are known as bull-boats."
Wick was formerly the herringopolis of
the world. Even now its population of 5000
souls is doubled during the fishing season,
ana as the distinct and individual smells of
our own odorous Gloucester and EaStEort,
OF lreland's Galway, OF England'S st. Ives
and Yarmouth, and Scotland's NewhaVen,
seem to nave concentered here III q palpabie
PAL OF pungent pollution, penetrating every
Granny of Wick's long and crooked single
street and banking into insnfferable stenches
in her dark side alleys, wynds and closes.
From Wick northward the coast grows
holder in outline and is given added pic
turesqueness by the huge ancient towers
and modern castles, here and there built
upon the very edge of headland and preci-
piee. Among these are the castles of SIN
clair and Girnigoe, the seat Of the Sinclairs,
founded by the thames of Caithness, the lat
ter very strong and
ANCIENT FoRTALICE;
Castle Finglas. in Sinelairs Bay; castle
keiss; and the lone ruins of Bucholly Castle;
and half an hour after passing keiss your
steamer is abreast the northeasternmostp point
of the Scottish mainland. This is noble
Duncansby Head. 1t is two miles in cir
conference, a lofty emerald cone set on
sea-base of fearful rocks, gashed with num-
beresS gioe or stream entering chasms. and
reaching overwhelmingly into the sea huge
stacks or eolumnar rocks, fashioned by
the oceans beatiugs into all manner of weird
and fantastic shapes. a glimpe of the lit
tie inn near the former site of ancient
John O Greats House" is caught around to
the west OF Duncansby Head. Beyond the
narrow strait stands the little cultivated
island Of Slroma, over which the sea swept
III the great storm of 1862. This passed, you
cross the wild waters of Pentland Firth, and
a two hours sail brings you TO anchor in the
harbor of Kirk wall.
This quaint old city, whose ancient name
was kirkjuvagr, OF Church Bay" is built
on either side of a long, narrow, winding
street at the foot of an overshadowing hill.
Its one great object of interest is the Cathe-
dral of St Magnus, founded by Rognvald,
Jarl Of Orkney. about $50 years ago. Near
it are ruins of lormer noted buildings, the
bishops and earFS palaces. In the latter
can still be seen the fireplace and outlines
OF the great banqueting-hall where. in the
Pirate, Scott places the scene of the in
terview between Jack Bunce and Cleveland.
But you could hardly be induced to tarry
long IN the OrKneys unless fascinated by its
PIctish antiquities. On no other equal area
In Northern Europe, possibly excepting Car
nae, III Brittany, can such numbers and
variety be found. Within an hours walk of
kirkwall are excellent examples of cham
bered mounds and eirde-houses, or earth
excavations, stone rooted. From nine to
fifteen miles
WEST OF KIRKWALL,
In the vicinity of Stenness and Stromness,
relics are found. The Orkahaug, or
mighty howe" of the Orkneyinga Saga
stands near the great stone ring OF SteH-
ness. This tumulns is in the center of cir
cular platform 500 feet in circumference.
a truncated mound 10 feet high covers
chambered barrow 81 feet long leading to
a central vault 10 feet square and u feet
high. NJ doubt a Sepulchral vault for Pic
fish kings. The standing stones of STEM
ness and Broger are but short dista5 &c
away. Within date necessary for his
torical authorization these weird mono
liths formed as marvellous and ghostly a
host of past-age memorials as can now be
seen on the plain of Carnac, Brittany.
The tremendous stone, called the watch
stone, was standing as late as 1914, and the
gigantic stone Of Odin" stood within
the memory of man just noEth OF the
Ring OF Stenness This was the famous
stone mentioned by Scott in THE Pirate"
through a huge hole in which Urca-
dian lovers plighted their troths. The little
island of Egilsha. to the north of Kirkwall,
has one of the eighth century round towers
such as are seen throughout Ireland. In
the island of Hoy is the noted "Dwarie
Stone, IS feet long, IL to IA broad and to
feet thick. in which many centuries ago
were hewn two sleeping apartments, one
with stone pillow, attributed to the dwarf
''Troleo" in the northern Sagas, but I'M
doubleday a gigantic heather altar. At
Burray, little island TO the south is mas
siye ''brocb," precisely similar to the fam
GUS Grianan of Aileach, near Londonderry,
Ireland. Its walls are about 20 feet thick,
chambered. 16 feet high, and the structure
is 40 feet in diameter. 1t was both Pic
fish place of defense and sepulture for in
clnerary urns containing ashes Of the dead,
from 1000 to 5000 years ago.