, 1890-12-25

They all wore red peticoats. The
hero Of the Rangerand Richard, be-
lleving them to be the red uniforms
of large garrison of King Georges 3
soldiers, did not stop to even "kip-
PERI and eat q herring with
tho Shetlanders, but inade
away rs fast as his ships sails
could carry him to- the Sol
way Firth, where he failed in an at
tempt to despoil Scotland of her
bridgh.sllire. The area of Bressay
island Is perhaps 1900 acre,. 1t
has q population of 200 souls. All
the acres and people are the
property of a very pleasant and
marriageable lady, Miss Cameron
Mouat, who lives in high state and
udgeon. because of the moderniza-
ton of Shetland and the incoming
Of tourists, at her quaint old man
sion.house of "Gardie," which lifts
its huge chimneys and gables exact
ly opposite the harbor and city of
Lerwick.
Facing old Lerwick from
steamers deck, or from Bressay ISL
and opposite, you would almost
fancy your vessel had, by some trick
of navigation, entered II port of the
| Netherlands. Ii the level land and
dikes and weird old wind-mills of
Holland could be thrown in behind
Lerwick for background, the
Dutch picture would be complete.
Ii is only 250 to 300 years old, but 1t
looks vastly older, and wriggles and
twists along its crescent shore In the
qualntest architectural composites.
| 1t is
THE NoRTHERNMosT TOWN
in Great Britain, and derives its
name, as well rs that Of Its lovely
bay, from the Morse leir, clay, and
rlk, IA bay or harbor. 1t has a popu-
lation of 5000 souls, doubled every
year during the herring and tourist
season; but one feels that the life
and activity that hustle In the little
place are wholly new, or at least
different from that of the old north
ern sea-kings. who made the port
their haven Of piracies and their re-
treat for orgy, revel and feast. If
you could rehabiltate the people,
take away the emblems of British
rul from up there about Fort Char
lotte, built by Comwell, where the
coast guard are, and fill again the
harbor and pier with Dutch her.
ring busses and ample breeched
traders, every nook, corner, and
Granny would have its Amsterdam
| flavor and Rembrandt effects. In
deed the mark of those sturdy old
fishers and traders upon Lerwick is
40 universal, that one comes to re-
sent its present occupancy by an.
other race, even though its people
are hospitable as the Irish, stolid
and energetic rs the English, and
thrifty and canny as Aberdeen
Scotchmen-which Is another re-
markable composite.
Architecturally, Lerwick Is as odd
town as you Will find in all
Europe. II is built on the face of u
brae, and the morning sun, when it
\ gets around far enough north to
shine at all In this region, looks over
Bressay island and peers squarely
into | Ia rough old face. tumble upon
tumble 1t struggles around to the
southeast and northeast for IA good
mile, I'm all manner of
CURIOUS GROUPS AND PILES;
just as though, upon II time, it had
been leisurely built OH the edge of
the hill above, and then the hill
had gently shook itself and every
thing had quietly slid down its side,
and finally got comfortably settled,
fronts, rears and gables, all mex
tricably yet satisfactorily askew.
One recalls Gray's description of
Kendall: "rhey (the houses) seem
as though they had been dancing a
country dance and were out. They
stood back to back, corner to cor
ner, some up hill, some down"
But Lerwick Is deliciously more so.
1t is up hill, down hill aud all
around itself. Yet there Is some lit
tie method in 1t all. For 1t is all
alongshore, and all upon, over,
under and near, u delightfully."-
crooked and shadowy thoroughfnre
| following the vagarous sinuosities
Of the shore, and II modern street, or
road, that ut last was beaten along
the top of the hill. where the more
pretentious but altogether uninter-
esting new town lies. Connecting
these two thoroughfares are numer-
Gus lanes from three to seven feet
wide, at an angle of 35 degrees.
These, with no end of still narrower
wynCls and closes, give one II long
ing for game of ''hide-and-seeli,n
and recall few of the shadowy old
ways mt Mayence on the Rhine, and
the weird, sunless, silent aven:ies of
Old Town, in Algiers.
Odder than all else are the old
houses, now reaching to the water's
edge and, in former times, standing
out into and above the water. The
ancient burghers could not only fish
out OF their back windows, but
some houses were so constructed
that II yawl load of smuggled goods
could In case of pursuit, be shot into
convenient openings, and the latter
as instantly closed. Numbers of
buildings had secret apartments,
and you may still find structures, at
some distance from the shore, to
| which spacious subterreanenn pas
sages lead from the oay. The SIM
pie Dutch traders of those olden
times knew how to fear God and
thrive.
Two of the most interesting,
though somewhat grewsome, OBJ
jects Of interest in the little islands
are the
PICTIsH TOWER OF MoUsA
and Fitful Head, of both of which
you have caught glimpses from your
steamer. The Shetland mainland,