the name of certain islands belonging to Scotland, and lying to the northward of Orkney. There are many convincing proofs that these islands were very early inhabited by the Picts, or rather by those nations who were the original possessors of the Orkneys; and at the time of the total destruction of these nations, if any credit be due to tradition, their woods were entirely ruined (a). It is highly probable that the people in Shetland, as well as in the Orkneys, flourished under their own princes dependent upon the crown of Norway; yet this seems to have been rather through what they acquired by fishing and commerce, than by the cultivation of their lands. It may also be reasonably presumed, that they grew thinner of inhabitants after they were annexed to the crown of Scotland; and it is likely that they revived again, chiefly by the very great and extensive improvements which the Dutch made in the herring fishery upon their coasts, and the trade that the crews of their buffles, then very numerous, carried on with the inhabitants, necessarily resulting from their want of provisions and other conveniences.

There are many reasons which may be assigned why these islands, though part of our dominions, have not hitherto been better known to us. They were commonly placed two degrees too far to the north in all the old maps, in order to make them agree with Ptolemy's description of Thule, which he asserted to be in the latitude of 63 degrees; which we find urged by Camden as a reason why Thule must be one of the Shetland isles, to which Speed also agrees, though from their being thus wrong placed he could not find room for them in his maps. Another, and that no light cause, was the many false, fabulous, and impertinent relations published concerning them (b), as if they were countries inhospitable and uninhabitable; and lastly, the indolence, or rather indifference, of the natives, who, contenting themselves with those necessaries and conveniences procured by their intercourse with other nations, and conceiving themselves neglected by the mother country, have seldom troubled her with their applications.

There are few countries that have gone by more names than these islands; they were called in Icelandic, Hialandia, from hialt, the "hilt of a sword," this might be possibly corrupted into Hetland, Hilland, or Heiland, though some tell us this signifies a "high land." They have been likewise, and are still in some maps called Zetland and Zealand, in reference, as has been supposed, to their situation. By the Danes, and by

(a) The tradition is, that this was done by the Scots when they destroyed the Picts; but is more probably referred to the Norwegians rooting out the original possessors of Shetland.

(b) They represented the climate as intensely cold; the soil as composed of crags and quagmire, so barren as to be incapable of bearing corn; to supply which, the people, after drying fish-bones, powdered them, then kneaded and baked them for bread. The larger fish-bones were said to be all the fuel they had. Yet, in so dreary a country, and in such miserable circumstances, they were acknowledged to be very long-lived, cheerful, and contented. Shetland, by the natives, they are styled Yealtaland; and notwithstanding the oddness of the orthography, this differs very little, if at all, from their manner of pronouncing Zetland, out of which pronunciation grew the modern names of Shetland and Shotland.

The islands of Shetland, as we commonly call them, are well situated for trade. The nearest continent to them is Norway; the port of Bergen lying 44 leagues east, whereas they lie 46 leagues north-north-east from Buchanels; east-north-east from Sanda, one of the Orkneys, about 16 or 18 leagues; fix or seven leagues north-east from Fair Isle; 58 leagues east from the Ferroe isles; and at nearly the same distance north-east from Lewis. The southern promontory of the Mainland, called Sumburgh Head, lies in 59 degrees and 59 minutes of north latitude; and the northern extremity of Unft, the most remote of them all, in the latitude of 61 degrees 15 minutes. The meridian of London passes through this last island, which lies about 2 degrees 30 minutes west from Paris, and about 5 degrees 15 minutes east from the meridian of Cape Lizard. According to Gifford's Historical Description of Zetland, the inhabited islands are 33, of which the principal is styled Mainland, and extends in length from north to south about 60 miles, and is in some places 20 broad, though in others not more than two.

It is impossible to speak with precision; but, according to the best computation which we have been able to form, the Shetland isles contain near three times as much land as the Orkneys: and they are considered as not inferior to the provinces of Utrecht, Zeeland, and all the rest of the Dutch islands taken together; but of climate and soil they have not much to boast. The longest day in the island of Unft is 19 hours 15 minutes, and of consequence the shortest day 4 hours and 45 minutes. The spring is very late, the summer very short; the autumn also is of no long duration, dark, foggy, and rainy; the winter sets in about November, and lasts till April, and sometimes till May. They have frequently in that season storms of thunder, much rain, but little frost or snow. High winds are indeed very frequent and very troublesome, yet they seldom produce any terrible effects. The aurora borealis is as common here as in any of the northern countries. In the winter season the sea swells and rages in such a manner, that for five or six months their ports are inaccessible, and of course the people during that space have no correspondence with the rest of the world.

The soil in the interior part of the Mainland, for the most part, is mountainous, moorish, and boggy, yet not to such a degree as to render the country utterly impassable; for many of the roads here, and in some of the northern isles, are as good as any other natural roads, and the people travel them frequently on all occasions. Near the coast there are sometimes for miles together flat pleasant spots, very fertile both in pasture and corn. The mountains produce large crops of very nutritive grass in the summer; and they cut considerable quantities of hay, with which they feed their cattle in the winter. They might with a little attention bring more of their country into cultivation: but the people are so much addicted to their fishery, and feel so little necessity of having recourse to this method for subsistence, that they are content, how strange ever that may seem to us, to let four parts in five of their land remain in a state of nature.

They want not considerable quantities of marl in different islands, though they use but little; hitherto there has been no chalk found; limestone and freestone there are in the southern parts of the Mainland in great quantities, and also in the neighbouring islands, particularly Fetlar; and considerable quantities of flate, very good in its kind. No mines have been hitherto wrought to any great extent; but there are in many places appearances of metallic ores, as those of copper and iron; and it is said, pieces of silver ore have been found. In some of the smaller isles there are strong appearances of iron; but, through the want of proper experiments being made, there is, in this respect at least, hitherto nothing certain. Their meadows are inclosed with dikes, and produce very good grass. The little corn they grow is chiefly barley, with some oats; though even in the northern extremity of Unft the little land which they have is remarkable for its fertility. The hills abound with medicinal herbs; and their kitchen-gardens thrive as well, and produce as good greens and roots, as any in Britain. Of late years, and since this has been attended to, some gentlemen have had even greater success than they expected in the cultivating of tulips, roses, and many other flowers. They have no trees, and hardly any shrubs except juniper, yet they have a tradition that their country was formerly overgrown with woods; and it seems to be a confirmation of this, that the roots of timber-trees have been, and are still, dug up at a great depth; and that in some, and those too inaccessible, places, the mountain-ash is still found growing wild. That this defect, viz. the want of wood at present, does not arise entirely from the soil or climate, appears from several late experiments; some gentlemen having raised ash, maple, horse-chestnuts, &c. in their gardens. Though the inhabitants are without either wood or coals, they are very well supplied with fuel, having great plenty of heath and peat. The black cattle in this country are in general of a larger sort than in Orkney, which is owing to their having more extensive pastures; a clear proof that still farther improvements might be made in respect to size. Their horses are small, but strong, stout, and well-shaped, live very hardy, and to a great age. They have likewise a breed of small swine, the flesh of which, when fat, is esteemed very delicious. They have no goats, hares, or foxes; and in general no wild or venomous creatures of any kind except rats in some few islands. They have no moorowl, which is the more remarkable, as there are everywhere immense quantities of heath; but there are many sorts of wild and water-fowl, particularly the dunter-goofe, clack-goofe, folan-goofe, fawns, ducks, teal, whaps, foilts, lyres, kittiwakes, maws, plovers, cormorants, &c. There is likewise the ember-goofe, which is said to hatch her egg under her wing. Eagles and hawks, as also ravens, crows, mews, &c. abound here.

All these islands are well watered; for there are everywhere excellent springs, some of them mineral and medicinal. They have, indeed, no rivers; but many pleasant rills or rivulets, of different sizes; in some of the largest they have admirable trouts, some of which are of 15 and even of 20 pounds weight. They have likewise likewise many fresh-water lakes, well stored with trout and eels, and in most of them there are also large and fine flounders; in some very excellent cod. These fresh-water lakes, if the country was better peopled, and the common people more at their ease, are certainly capable of great improvements. The sea-coasts of the Main-land of Shetland, in a straight line, are 55 leagues; and therefore there cannot be a country conceived more proper for establishing an extensive fishery. What the inhabitants have been hitherto able to do, their natural advantages considered, does not deserve that name, notwithstanding they export large quantities of cod, tusk, ling, and skate, inomuch that the bounty allowed by acts of parliament amounts from 1400l. to 2000l. annually. Haddocks, whiting, turbot, and a variety of other fish, and in many of the inlets excellent oysters, lobsters, mussels, cockles, and other shell-fish are abundant, as well as multitudes of otters and seals: ambergris, and other spoils of the ocean, are sometimes found upon the coasts.

The inhabitants are a stout, well-made, comely people; the lower sort of a warthy complexion. The gentry are allowed, by all who have conversed with them, to be most of them polite, threwd, sensible, lively, active, and intelligent persons; and these, to the number of 100 families, have very handsome, strong, well-built houses, neatly furnished; their tables well served; polished in their manners, and exceedingly hospitable and civil to foreigners. Those of an inferior rank are a hardy, robust, and laborious people, who, generally speaking, get their bread by fishing in all weathers in their yawls, which are little bigger than Gravesend wherries; live hardly, and in the summer season mostly on fish; their drink, which, in reference to the British dominions, is peculiar to the country, is called bland, and is a sort of butter-milk, long kept, and very sour. Many live to great ages, though not so long as in former times. In respect, however, to the bulk of the inhabitants, from the poorness of living, from the nature of it, and from the drinking great quantities of corn-spirits of the very worst sort, multitudes are afflicted with an inveterate fever; from which those in better circumstances are entirely free, and enjoy as good health as in any other country in Europe. As they have no great turn to agriculture, and are persuaded that their country is not fit for it, they do not (though probably they might) raise corn enough to support them for more than two-thirds of the year. But they are much more successful in their pasture grounds, which are kept well inclosed, in good order, and, together with their commons, supply them plentifully with beef and mutton. They pay their rents generally in butter at Lammas, and in money at Martinmas. As to manufactures, they make a strong coarse cloth for their own use, as also linen. They make likewise of their own wool very fine flockings. They export, besides the different kinds of fish already mentioned, some herrings, a considerable quantity of butter and train-oil, otter and seal skins, and no inconsiderable quantity of the fine stockings just mentioned. Their chief trade is to Leith, London, Hamburg, Spain, and to the Straits. They import timbers, deals and some of their best oats, from Norway; corn and flour from the Orkneys, and from North Britain; spirits and some other things from Hamburgh; cloths and better sort of linen from Leith; grocery, household furniture, and other necessaries, from London. The duties to the superior are generally let in farm; and are paid by the people in butter, oil, and money. The remains of the old Norwegian constitution are still visible in the division of their lands; and they have some udalmen or freeholders amongst them. But the Scots laws, customs, manners, dress, and language prevail; and they have a sheriff, and other magistrates for the administration of justice, as well as a cuthomhoule, with a proper number of officers. In reference to their ecclesiastical concerns, they have a presbytery, 12 ministers, and an itinerant for Foula, Fair Island, and the Skerries. Each of these ministers has a stipend of between 40 and 50 pounds, besides a house and a glebe free from taxes. The number of souls in these islands may be about 20,000.