The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-09-05
THE SCENE OF
SCOTS "PlRATE"
Remains of Druidica| Build
ers Visited and Described.
THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. MAGNUS
It Tells Its Own Story of Its Early Norman
BuiIding--Ruins Of the Bishops Palace
People of Orkney Are of
Danish Descent.


To the Editor; l have not
hitherto acted upon the courte-
Gus suggestion and request of the
editor of the News and Observer that
should let him have IA letter from me
now and then during my absence from
my own country This has proceeded
not from any want of appreciation OF
that courtesy on the part of Mr.. Daniels,
but partly because l have had but little
leisure for writing, except to members or
my family, and partly, and l may say
chiefly, because l have feared that, In
the newness of everything to me, and
the interest excited in me thereby, L
might be threshing out old straw, and go
ing over again ground familiar to the IN
ltelligent and cultivated readers of this
paper.
At this time, however, / find myself
quite unexpectedly and | might almost
say. quite unaccountably, in place so
removed from the ordinary track of
American travellers, and place of SO
much interest in itself, that | feel tempt
ed to avail myself of the before mention
ed liberty of Imposing for once upon the
lpatience of the readers of the News and
/ Observer
And first I will account for my being
here 1t happened that an ancestor of my
wife lived for eight or ten years lmme-
/ diately preceding his emigration to North
/ Carolina. in Caithness, the northernmoSt
county of Scotland. He had many rather
interesting and somewhat extraordin-
ary experiences during his abode in these
parts. and the perusal of many Of his
papers and letters had determined me, if
the opportunity should ever occur, to
visit the place where he had lived. So
last Saturday, August 14th / found my
self in Thurso the nOrthernmOst town
lin Great Britain. Before reaching Thur
so. however. / had learned from fellow
passenger that Borburn, the estate which
/ wished to visit, was ten or twelve miles
from the town. so that L could not I'M
dertake that trip until after Sunday.
Having thus Sunday or my hands, as
lit were, and Thurso not being a special
lily attractive place, to me at least, l de-
termined to take the little steamer
which lay in Sorabster Roads awaiting
the arrival of the train | was on, and
TO spend my Sunday in the Orkneys.
So after pleasant sail OF three hours
II found myself at ten o'clock Saturday
night in Kirkwall, the ancient capital
of the Orkneys, and the scene, in part
OF Sir Walter SCOTS novel, the Pirate.
I believe there are, over sixty islands
included in the Orkneys. The largest
one, the Pomona of the Romans, is call
ed in Orkney, "the Mainland" SO far
as my very limited observation goes these
. islands have a singularly bare and bar
. rem look from a distance. There are alb
; solutely no trees, except such as have
been planted near the houses, and these
have only a stunted growth You look
over a great stretch of rolling country
spread out before you, the hills here and
there rising into something almost like
mountains, and nowhere a tree or a
shrub Those about the houses seem
absorbed with the works of man with
which they are thus associated and seem
hardly less artificial than the houses and
the hay-stacks.
The buildings are all of stone mostly
covered with stone, either slate, as we
are accustomed to see it, or more fire.
quently, and in all old houses, in the
form of stone slabs half an inch thick,
and laid ON the roof in cement. just as
the stone walls are built. Even the
stables and "byres," cow-houses, are
covered with stone, though in case Of
these last. the states are usually more
like the flag stones Of our pavements.
two or three or even four feet long, and
laid on very roughly. The older farm
houses and stables are often covered
with thatch, but the thatch must always
be secured by ropes of twisted straw or
leather passed over the ridge of the
, roof, and the ends Of the rope tied to
, heavy stones which lie along just above
the caves. The winds are so severe that
only when thus secured will the thatch
remain on the roof. Even the hay
stacks and straw stacks and the very
shocks of grain in the fields, must be
thus securely fastened with ropes and
bands of straw. This necessity of solid
and substantial building causes a close
ness and compactness Of arrangement
which gives each farm house a peculiar
appearance to an Americans eye. The
same severity of the winds, / suppose.
prevents the growth of moss or Kitchens on
the stone, and every house looks like it
. might have been built last week; and
the town Of Kirkwall looks like it was
washed and scrubbed yesterday. This
character of the buildings added to the
baroness of the country gives it at first
very cold and hard appearance. There
seems to be absolutely nothing here
which the wind could by any possibility
blow away.
But the country has its pleasing feat
ures too. In the first place the people
seem to be industrious, and the land is
exceedingly we'll cultivated. Only the
: higher parts of the hills are unoccupied,
as rule, and they are covered with
heather which gives them uniform dull
brown appearance. The heather is
beautiful near at hand when it is in
bloom, as it is now, but in the distance
it gives the hills and moors a singularly