General De-under the name of holms, are dedicated to the pasturing stription. of a few cattle, sheep, or rabbits, and are in general too small, and too much exposed to the violence of the weather, to be fit for human habitation. They have probably derived their general name from Cape Orchus, the ancient name for " Dunnet Head" in Caithness, and have come to be denominated "Orkney Isles," or the "Isles of Cape Orchus." Or, in Gaelic, signifies a "whale," and innes an “island." These large animals are fre quently seen there at present, and probably were more frequently observed in ancient times, before they had become in so great a degree the prey of commercial nations. Pliny also gives the name of orce to some species of huge marine animals. These islands, when compared with the barren wilds of some of the Shetland isles to the north, or even with the lofty mountains and bleak marshy plains of Sutherland, assume, upon the whole, a favourable appearance. The surface of the whole of them follows, in general, the inclination of the surface of the greater part of the north of Scotland, being lofty towards the west, and declining toInclination wards the east. This appears to arise from the inclination of the strata. of the mineral strata, which here in general, and even perhaps throughout the whole globe, descend towards the east, and ascend towards the west. Hence, on the west coast of the Orkney Isles, the land is so elevated as, with a few interruptions, to form itself into a range of hills, not high indeed, but much more so than what is generally met with in the interior of the country. These hills, the highest of which does not exceed 1200 feet, do not always run in the largest direction of the islands, but frequently stretch across them; and while their sides that face the Western Ocean are bold and steep in the extreme, their opposite sides, for the most part, shelve away into plains of considerable extent with a gentle declivity. The shores in

the western quarter are in many places bounded by rocks Climate. awfully majestic. In some places they remain entire ; in others they have yielded to the force of the billows and the ravages of time; and are consequently shattered into a thousand different shapes, altogether forming a scene highly interesting.

It is not improbable that, at some remote period, these islands have been joined to the mainland of Scotland of the county of Caithness; and it is no difficult matter to account for their separation, and the territory being broken into small parts or islands. We have already remarked, that in Caithness there are many caverns on the These are formed by the violent action of the waves of the sea upon the soft strata which it finds in some places. In this way the sea cuts mines very far into the land; and undoubtedly, in the course of ages, has in this way cut off large portions of the continent, and thereby formed many of the isles which diversify the face of the ocean.

In these islands the south-west wind is most prevalent; Climate. and as it comes from the mountainous tract of the West Highlands, brings, as might be expected, not only the most frequent but the heaviest rains; and also raises the tides, through the whole shores, to their greatest elevation. From the south-east, too, the winds are very frequent, and sometimes even stormy. In the spring, summer, and harvest months, while these winds prevail, the weather is sometimes dry and cold, sometimes damp, and not unfrequently thick, dark, and foggy; and when this last kind of weather continues for any time, it seldom fails to have a manifest effect in depressing the animal spirits, and generating colds, coughs, sore throats, and similar complaints, that are the effects of such a state of the atmosphere. On the other hand, the north-west, north, and north-east

Climate. winds, bring for the most part cold, dry, wholesome weather; and in the same degree that the others relax and sink, these brace and elevate the animal system. The east and west winds are neither remarkable for their strength nor their long continuance; nor, indeed, are they marked with any striking peculiarity. Seldom do calms, for any length of time, prevail here; and the winds, from whatever quarter they blow, and in whatever season, are seldom or never tempestuous, but often loud and strong; and this circumstance has an evident tendency to render the climate salubrious. Through the whole islands rains fall in considerable quantity; but on the west coast, on account of its superior height, by far the greatest quantity falls. During the winter, when in other parts of the kingdom the land is locked up in frost, and deep buried in snow, rains more commonly prevail here, and are either so constant, or recur so soon, that they render it inconvenient to travel either by land or water; and, besides drenching the cultivated fields, and hurting the roots of the grass, introduce diseases among sheep, horses, and black cattle. Snows are neither so frequent, nor in such quantity; but they come with considerable violence, and generally from the north-west and south-east quarter of the heavens; and though what falls in the course of a year may not be much short of the quantity in other northern districts, it continues only a few days at a time on the surface of the earth, owing perhaps not only to the greater warmth, but also to the vapours that are constantly rising from the sea, and floating in the atmosphere.

A peculiarity of the climate, with respect to the season of snow and hail, merits some attention. Some parts of the month of June, which in Britain is well known to be of a pleasant and genial warmth, is here not only often colder than the preceding months, but almost as much so as any

winter month. For about two weeks, and even some- Climate. times more, about the middle of that month, the wind blows from the north strong and piercing, accompanied with snow and hail showers, which drive domestic animals to seek shelter; clothe the fields with a dreary aspect, by checking the progress of the young plants, and blasting their buds and their blossoms, and to a stranger would seem to threaten the islands with famine. As soon as that period is past, the wind veers round, warm showers succeed, which revive the tender herbage, that now recovers its former bloom and verdure; the whole tribe of animals again rejoice; and the heart of the husbandman is gladdened with the prospect of future plenty. The cause of this extreme, and seemingly unnatural cold, evidently is the dissolving of the immense fields of ice in the Northern Ocean which happens at that season, and the consequent evaporation. About forty years ago the north wind waft- Black snow. ed over the ocean, what is still recollected by the old people by the name of the black snow, which at the time struck the inhabitants with terror and astonishment. It was afterwards known that an eruption of Mount Hecla in Iceland had at that time occurred; and it is probable that this snow had derived its hue from the smoke sent forth by the volcano, or by the combustion of the substances consumed by the melted matter which it cast forth. It is known that the ashes cast forth by Etna and Vesuvius have been carried by the winds to the banks of the Nile.

Thunder and lightning are seldom observed here in summer, even in the hottest weather, but most commonly in winter; not, indeed, when the temperature is mild and the sky serene, but when the elements are in commotion. When it blows, rains, hails, or snows, thunder and lightning are frequently the consequence. To whatever cause we may ascribe their appearance at this season, it seems.

Climate. to have no influence in rendering them either more violent or more destructive. They are less so here than in other places. They are not accompanied with hailstones of such vast magnitude; nor have they such a tremendous glare, nor such loud and awful peals, as in more soutbern climates.

Notwithstanding these irregularities, the climate pos sesses one quality superior to what is found in more favoured countries. As the islands stretch far to the north, it might have been expected they would have experienced all the inconveniences that arise from the extre mities of heat and cold that are felt under the same parallel in either the old or the new continent. This, however, is by no means the case; for while the inhabitants of Hudson's Bay and St Petersburgh are alternately panting with heat, or shivering with cold, the inhabitants of the Orkneys enjoy a temperature comparatively mild and moderate. In proof of this, it may be observed, that the medium heat, as appears by the springs, amounts to forty-five degrees; and the whole range between the extremes of the cold in winter and heat in summer is from twenty-five to seventy-five degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer. The range of the barometer is three inches. Hence the few epidemical disorders which occur as the consequence of extremes of temperature, the good health and vigour which the people often enjoy to an advanced age, and the instan ces that are sometimes met with of longevity.

Around their whole coasts, the land, with a few exceptions, may be descried at the distance of ten leagues, where the water is in depth fifty-two fathoms. So near the shore as one league, the depth of water is between forty and fifty fathoms; but on the opposite side of the group, at the same distance from land, the depth of the water does not exceed thirty-two fathoms. The floodtide, in most places, comes from the north-west; and when