Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1890-12-28

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1sepsrs1s Uhalzs. fsra - ssesGzg :
Heaalas iisId IT 6atkis. 0enneenAlIy
fsv break shrsaxn sas hns - sncspa.
A. Fuis the se6ool = doaMs<k. oaes
efvso snto shosi vs1<r wsefe sasy
60 eniy noundrr II msxsey e1ku9xiss.
or h.4h aud dry ca iAIla. vnsrs tssy
oaesn tsss thsasssvss ia tae.x md
sneFo - sscsps. slzxsr oatcnsry. valea
u siuays ssssgs ord sseGssln< sEEs.
pEocseds with woaz1effnl dApates. "a
ms biooty work Inc aArdy sa1 posex-
fai shetland women tAks . glsafsi
saa alssost frsaz.sd part
The chief lndUstFy Of shs 8hetlsaaers
must aivAss - that OF 1snsnx Cod,
isax Aild Dering are tassn- fns boats
fofmsxty used we're '.slxsvns." or az
eisns sax-oAfea boass. of shsas twsaty
feet Keel. sad s.EidiIs- stsApsa' Al Zoe
and stern bar the great loss Of life "a
1881, saieh occurred la tas H4Af' Or
dsep-sea fishing With long isnes, In
winch ten boats wsat dowa and nifty
eight fishermen persisted. paved tire
Way Tor the sdsptlon OF the large
decxed boats. descrl oeu n . recent Arti-
Gle Of this seTses on the Herring Flsh-
cries of Scotland Cod 4na hug han
ing - extensively Prosecuted. many OF
toe shetland snaeks gong a. far A. the
Farce Islands 4nd 10 Iceland. The
number ot these tso varisties OF nah
taken by shetland vessels IN 1883, was
800. 40, representing . weight OF
$50, 600 pounds waeu cured ana dned:
more than ons-tAifd Of this class OF
fishing for all Scotland Tor the same
year. la general, however, Shetland
annually produces fully oae-half OF the
total catch for scotland.
The shetland crofter differs little IN
character and environment from the
Scottish Highland erofter of the north
and west SHORES OF the Scottish main
land. He "a = Goi-fesring. rugged,
hardy, honest, simple fellow, with
scarcely other than the two impulses
OF beng. Ia living and right living. IL
DO possesses taults, they are inherited
rather than acquired. His sodden
fstailsni. despite bis almost fierce re-
liglous faith. Is the outcome of those
curious superstitlons of all Lowry races
living alongside the material relies and
remains OF Pagan progenltors; and his
apparently essy-going nature, which
eheenly eonsemplates most OF the bur
dens OF home-lite and croft-toll falling
upon ms faithful spouse. AZ the tradl-
tlonsi one existing among all seafaring
people. The islands being deeply in
denied with woes, or arms OF the sea,
the crolts arc generally situated along
the shores or these. Croft-holdings'
comprise from three to ten acres of
arabic land. with hill-pastures in COM
mon. The latter 10 known here "a
'scattald." pronounced by the natives
'scAthold;" but the land 10 reckoned bv
so many merks value, the merk being
an old Morse coin worth about S3.22-
thus a ''o-merk croft" . ''20-merk
croft" etc, the value, rather than the
size. of the croft being thus indicated.
The truck" system, that barbarous
IniQuity stil! prevalent IN some portions
of our own country, which formerly
kept Shetlanders IN precisely the same
abhorent condition Of slavery as that
suffered by the miners of Psnnsylvanis,
Indiana and Illinois, having few years
since been extirpated from Shetland by
the same British puplic sentiment which
fixed flair rents" for Scottish crofters
generally, the Shetland tisher-crofters
are prosperous and content upon their
upon the crofts and IN fishing: for
every Shetland peasant is both fisher
and croiter. Al each croft-home will
be found few sheep, great hocks OF
geese, often u cow, and always the
stumpy little Shetland pony and cart.
The ponies are very hardy, wondrously
sure-footed, AMI, being as much COM
panlous as beasts of burden. are left
pretty much to the freedom of their
own wills wheI not required Tor use.
The poD,es ere of course used in all
manner Ut carving capacities, like the
little JnS.y- of the Azores. but one
irresistibly connects them in the thought
with peat-carrylng. You can hardly
turn your eyes upon any road or path
way IN Shs iland without somewhere
seeing a Shetland pony half hidden un-
der gGeat Planners, or 'nlaysies," as
the natives call them, gong for or re-
turning with peat, while the Shetland
guidwIfe or maiden. joys along IN com
pany, knitting with an almost savage
sedulousness and energy. Blu; there is
another carrier here that does almost
the work of the Shetland pony. That
ia the Shetland woman. All the man.
ure for the crofts, comprising thous-
ands OF tons of gathered seaweed, tue
millions OK fsh in the operations OF
Landing and curing, and 4 large portion
OF the peat, - carried not on ponies
backs, but on the backs of women in
the universal "kashie" cf the islands.
This Is a creel made OF twisted and
woven straw like the "maysie.." LIZ IL
also written cassie, and Its pronuncia-
ton 10 best indicated in the spelling
"kyshIre" or "kIshie." Shetland
women step Oft nimbly with from
seventy TO eighty pounis of weight in
their "kasliles," but knit, knit, knit
forever and forever. Peat is the princl-
pal burden, for there is no wood-fuel
IN Shetland. Nearly all the high i'm
terror surface of the islands, consists
of wild, dreary scattalds or psat-mosses,
common FOR pasture - we'll "a for peat;
and from these, Eine-teuths of the
shetIsnderssecure their future supplies.
For peat-cuttng IN Shetland, . long,
narr~w spade with . sharp iron
edge, snd an iron plate some seven
inches long, placed At right angles, is
used. Peat-banks or beds are generally
three peatlengths IN depth, and the
size of the "toysker," a. the peat-spaie
is called, determines the size of the
peat. When cut each block IL about
one foot long, sir or seven inches
broad, and about three inches thick.
The pesss are then Lard In rows on the
bank. ike unbsxed srek, Scr she first
drying. After lying fer tares weeks
they are then raised" that II, stood
on sads in small piles, for complets
drying. Leading the peats' 10 taking
thssl hosae IN the "msys;es" on sne
ponies backs. or n the "kashies'' on
tina wooerfs backs when they