Morning journal and courier., 1890-12-13

mainland. European summer tourists have within few years come here in great numbers. On the continent, and especial ly in London, now that the lochs and glens of northern Scotland have been pretty well explored, thereis an increasing in penetrating northernmost regions. Only this season periodic excur- sion parties to Iceland were organized with great success. The spirit of adven- ture, easily and pleasantly gratified, the grand and magnificent rock scenery, espe- cially of the western sea-walls of both is land groups, the fascination of the fierce and whirlpools with which the coasts abound, locally called "roosts," i" the grewsomeness and grandeur of the outly- ing islets and holms, the occasional roar ings of the Atlantic, which may often be heard for distance of twenty miles as the bowling storms beat upon mural precipices of the western shores, and, above all, probably the grandest free fishing in the world, in Shetland, where the lochs and tarns which communicate with the sea are alive with brown trout, and the woes and gioes indenting the coasts swarm with sea- trout innumerable, have all contributed in rendering these remote islands easy of ac- cess. From Edinburgh or Glasgow they may now be reached by rail to Thurso, and
 
 time. Or, one may take the train to Aber- deen and thence by steamer skirt the east ern Scottish coast, touching at Wick, in Caithness, and Kirkwall, in the Orkneys, and reach Lerwick, the capital of Shet- land, in twenty-four hours time from Aberdeen.
 The latter is a eoasting trip full of incl dent and interest, as the coast of Scotland is nearly always in sight. Leaving Aber- deems harbor-mouth of the river Dee, a half hours sail brings you abreast of the great Slain's Castle, the seat of the Earl of Errol, where Dr. Johnson and Boswell were entertained in 1T73, one of the grand est situations on the entire eastern coast. Then for long distance the coast is a reach of soft, honeycombed scaur, assum- ing at frequent intervals the appearance of Gothic ruins with open arches. This leads to the famous Buffers Croarers) of Buchan, tremendous caverns in the pre- cipitous sea-wall, where in high gales the waters rush in with terrific violence. while their roaring, mingled with the shrieking of sea-fowl, which build along the edge of Dun Buy in myriads, give the spot as dolorous and dreadful sounds at those greeting 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 further 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 flat surrounding country, by the bleak hill of Marmond, rearing its lone and cof- fn-shaped head in-the northwest horizon.
 Fraserburgh, one of the great east-coast fshing-ports, is next passed, when the course is changed, and your steamer cross es the ninety-miles wide mouth of the great Moray Firth, headed for Wick, the northeastermost Scottish port. Aberdeen, Peterhead and Wick are, outside of Shet- land, the most important fishing-ports of Scotland, and in sailing from the former to the latter fully one thousand craft may be counted in pleasant weather. At Wick, where the gigantic breakwater on which nearly half million dollars were expend- ed, is in ruins, landing passengers and freight is dangerous business in winter. Lighters are employed, and the huge ones for freight are known as "bull-boats. 5 Wick was formerly the herringopolis of the world. Even now its population of eight thousand souls is doubled during the fishing season, and as the distinct and in. dividual smells of our own odorous Gloucester and Eastport, of Ireland's Gal way, of England's St. Ives and Yarmouth, and Scotland's Newhaven, seem to have concentered here in a palpable pail of pun gent pollution, penetrating every cranny of Wick's long and crooked single street, and banking into insufferable stenches in her dark side alleys, wynds and closes.
 From Wick northwartl the coast grows bolder in outline and is given added pie turesqueness by the huge ancient towers and modern castles, here and there built upon the very edge of headlend and prec- ipice. Among these are the castles of Sinclair and Girnigoe, the seat of the Sin clairs, founded by the thames of Caithness the latter a very strong and ancient forts- lice; castle Finglas, ir Sinclair's Bay; cas- tie Keiss; and the lone ruins of Bucholly | castle; and half m hour after passing Keiss your steamer is abreast the norteast- | ermost point of the Scottish mainland | This is noble Duncansby Head. It is two miles in circumference, lofty emerald | cone set on a sea-base of fearful rocks | gashed with numberlsss gioe or stream-en | tering chasms, and reaching threateningl, | into the seq huge 'sstacks'' or columnal rocks, fashioned by the ocean's beatingi into all manner of weird and fantasti | shapes. 4 glimpse of the little inn nea, | the former site of ancient ''John o'Groat' House" is caught around to the west o Duncansby Head. Beyond the narro, strait stands the little cultivated island 0
 Stroma, over which the sea swept in tn great storm of 1882 This passed, vol | cross the wild waters of Pentland Firth and a two hours sail brings you to ancho | in the harbor of Kirkwall.
 | This quaint old city, whose ancien name was Kirkjuvagr or ''church-bay," 1" i
 built on either side of long, narrow
 winding street at the foot of an overshad
 owing hill. Its one great object of inter
 est is the cathedral of St. Magnus, found
 ed by Rognvald, Jarl of Orkney, abou
 five hundred and fifty years ago. Near
 are ruins of former noted buildings, tn
 Bishops and Earls palaces. In the latte
 can still be seeh the fireplace and outline
 of the great banqueting-hall where, in th
 s'Pirate," Scott places the scene of the iT
 terview between ''Jack Bunce'' an
 "Cleveland." But you could hardly be il
 duced to tarry long in the, 0rkneys unle:
 fascinated by its Fetish antiquities. O
 no other equal area in northern Europ'
 possibly excepting Carnac, in Brittan,
 can such numbers and variety be found
 Within an hours walk of Kirkwall are c,
 cellent examples of chambered mound
 and eirde-houses or earth excavations
 stone-roofed. From nine to fifteen mile
 west of Kirkwall in the vicinity of Stei
 ness and Stromness a vast number of e,
 traordinary Pagan relics are found. I'll
 Orkahaug, or "mighty howe' of the 0rl
 neyinga Saga stands near the great stor
 ring of Stenness. This tumulus is in u
 center of a circular platform eight hun
 dred feet in circumference. A truncate
 mound forty feet high covers chambere
 barrow fifty-four feet long leading to
 central vault fifteen feet square and twely feet high; no doubt sepulchral vault fc
 Fetish kings. The standing stones ( Stenness and Broger are but a short di
 tance away. Within a date necessary ft historical authorization these weird mol
 oliths formed as marvellous and ghostly host of past-age memorials as can now
 seen on the plain of Carnac, Brittan,
 The tremendous stone called the Watcl , stone was standing as late as 1874, and u gigantic ''Stone of 0din" stood within u memory of man just north of the Ring Stenness. This was the famous stoI mentioned by Scott in f'The Pirate
 through huge hole in which Orcadis lovers plighted their troths. The little . land of Egilsha, to the north of Kirkwal ! has one of the eighth century round to1 7 CTS such as are seen throughout Irelan In the island of Hoy is the noted "Dwa - ne stone, tWenty-elgnt Ieet long, eieV' F to fourteen broad, and two to six fe
 thick, in which many centuries ago we i, hewn two sleeping experiments, one wi Q a stone pillow, attributed to the diva
 ''Troled" in the northern Sagas, but u a doubtedly a gigantic heathen altar. a Burray, little island to the south, is r massive "broch, !" precisely similar to n famous Grianan of Aileach, near Londo ' derry, Ireland. Its walls are about tive h ty feet thick, chambered, sixteen feet hig and the structure is forty feet in diamet' "a It was both Fetish place of defence a " | c.. rrrpc nj