Telegram-herald., 1890-12-14
THE TWILIGHT LAND


l5os tas 81 Gza m&ils to- three ~ lo4x
Mouths' Enle soszll aFrse az tbe szsna
haaf TIE hFsk steamer Appeared o1
tae shetland coasE - ls5z, tns pess4ntry
bsIieslast = - be a slip Ga bEe. ara ll
sas noG ankii fss7 tnat oae 14s seen Ia
the pcfss Ct ths Noxtn is.ss- fbey
stii have nl4nY ansccetes here o. ne
sascs ~ - 4rusAi ag Ler~iCk.
sampie ofse = khas ca tae oceoslou ~
tbe craft bloe.ng oft stesm wlth great
pose, tao SIMPLE .sisnaers engaged la
gathering impets On tDe rocks. neaF.y
surveying the 'nFs-salp' moasteT N4tn
desperate dlsmsy, tie stronger minded
of the tao handed hss snuff horn 50 BIS
companion slGA the exhoFt4toa.
''Ob. Jaaaie. Jamie. tako doc = snuts
Tor doo'I snun nze mar NJ ms tiii We
snuf thegltneF Ia glory lie thought
the "Oreat Day" had come ana that
the Angel wss aboard the steamer,
sFumpeslag lhe slxnai Tor ualysrsAl
dissolution.
sailing packets were finally super
eeded, and large steamers regularly
ply betwsen scottish ports and those OF
| the Northern ssies. fuFnishlng tne re-
motest snd dreaFiest fishing hamlets
with three mails q week. The tTenlen-
doas increase IN the importance OF the
herring fishing industry OF the Ofkneys
saa Scotland Is not alone responsible
Tor the establishing OF convenient
means OF intercOmmunieatlon With
England, southern Scotland aud the
near mainland. European summer
tourists have within few years come
] here IN great numbers. On the CONT
nent, and especially IN London, now
that the lOcns and glens OF northern
Scotland have been pretty well ex-
plored. there - an increasing enthus..
asm IN penetrating northernmost re-
/ gions. Only this season periodic
excursion parties 10 Iceland were or
ganlzed with great success. The spirit
OF adventure, easily and pleasantly
grauhed, tie grand and magnificent
rock scenery, especially OF the western
sea-wslls OF both island groups, the
fascination OF the fierce tldeways and
whlriDools with which the costs abound,
locally called "roots," the grewsom-
ness aud grandeur of the outlying lsiets
and holms, the occasional roarlngs OF
the Atlantic which may often be heard
tor distance OF twenty miles as the
bowling storms beat upon mural preci-
plces OF the western shore, and, above
all, probably the grandest free tishing
IN the world, in Shetland, where the
lochs and tarns which communicate
with the sea, are alive with brown
trout, and the woes and gios lndentlng
the costs swarm with sea-trout lnnum-
erable, having all contributed in rem
dering these remote islands easy of &C
cess. From Edinburgh or Glasgow they
may now be reached by rail to Thurso,
- tx.f he nrl-
hours time. Or, one may take train 20
Aberdeen and thence by steamer skirt
the eastern Scottish coast, touching at
Wick, in Caithness, and KIrkwall, in
| the Orkneys, and reach Lerwick, the
capital of Shetland, IN twenty-four
hours time from Aberdeen.
The later is coasting trip full of In
cident and interest, as the coast OF
Scotland is nearly always in sight.
Leaving Aberdeen's hsrbor-mouth of
the river Dee, a half hours sail brings
you abreast of the great Slams Castle,
the seat of the Earl of Errol, where
Drs. Johnson and Boswell we're enter
tanned ia 1873, one of the grandest situ-
| atoms on the entire eastern coast.
Then for long distance the coast is
reach of soft, honeycombed scaur, as
sumiug at frequent intervals the APP
pearance of Gothic RUNS with open
arches. This leads TO the famous Bull
lers (roarers) of Buchan, tremendous
cayerns IN the precipItous sea-wall,
where in high gales the waters rusa IN
with terrific violence, while their roar
| ing, 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 as those
greeting the doomed Vathek in the
awfu. 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
shipbuildlng and fishing, the eastern
most town in Scotland, dominated,
with Its fiat surrounding country, by
! the bleak MIL of Marmond, rearing It's
lone and cotin-shaped head IN the
northeast horizon.
I Fraserburgh, one of the great east
= coast fishing ports, is next passed, when
/ the course IS changed, and your steam
er crosses the 90-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
| pOrtsnt fishing ports of Scotland, and
IN sailing 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 million Of dollars were expended,
IS in ruins, landing passengers and
! freight is dangerous business IN winter.
Lighters are employed, and the huge
ones for freight are known "a "bull
/ boats" Wick was formerly the her
rIngopholis Of the world. Even now
It's population Of 8 900 souls is doubled
during the fishing season, and as the
distinct and individual smells Of our
own odorous Gloucester and Esstport,
| OF Irelsnd's Galway, Of England's -.
Ives and Yarmouth. and Scotland's
NewhSven, seem 10 have concentrated
here IN palpsble ball OF pungent pol
luton, penetrating Weeks long and
crooked single street and banking into
lnsufterabie stenches IN her dark side
alleys, vynds and closes.
From Wick northvard the coast
grows bolder n outline and Is gwen
added plcturesqueness by the huge
anCleut towers and modern castles,
here and there built upon the very edge
Of nesdland and precIpIce. Among
these are the castles Of Slnclair aud
Girnig0e, the seat of the Sinclalrs,
founded BY he thames Of Calthness,
the latter a very strong and ancient
fortahce; castle Fingiss. IN SinclslT's
bay; castle ke1ss. and the lone ruins Of
Bucholly castle: and half an hour after