An American in Iceland. An account of its scenery. ... With a description of its Millennial Celebration in August, 1874; with notes on the Orkney, Shetland and Faroe Islands, etc

Front matter

■ ■ ■ I I I I I ■ ■ I I THE AMERICAN PARTY. Bayard Taylor. Dr. Kneeland. C. W. Field. M. Halstead. Dr. Hayes. AN American in Iceland AN ACCOUNT OF ITS SCENERY, PEOPLE, AND HISTORY. WITH A DESCRIPTION OF ITS MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION IN AUGUST, 1874; WITH Notes on the Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Islands, and the Great Eruption of 1875. BY SAMUEL KNEELAND, A.M., M.D., SECRETARY AND PROFESSOR OF ZOOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY IN THE MASSACHU- SETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. WA\ |3_i. anb gtiit-i-.n Illustrations. BO STON: LOCKWOOD, BROOKS, AND COMPANY. 1876. Copyright, Lockwood, Brooks, and Company, Cambridge : Press of John Wilson d. Son. TO HON. JOHN AMORY LOWELL, STruBltE of t_c 3_.oi_.tII Institute, THESE PAGES, IN THE MAIN PREPARED AS INSTITUTE LECTURES, ON HIS KIND INVITATION, ARE RESPECTPULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.

Preface

. s HAD the satisfaction during the summer of 1874 of visiting Iceland, on the occasion of its cele bration of the -thousandth anniversary of its settlement by Norwegian rovers. I was led to this distant, and supposed cold and cheerless, region by several motives, prominent among which were : I. The desire of comparing its volcanic phenomena, exhibiting the singular paradox of extensive glaciers and eruptions of fiery lava and boiling geysers in close proximity, with those of the Sandwich Islands, which I had visited in 1872. Having gazed into the horrible cauldron of the " Lake of Fire ; " having witnessed the magnificent spectacle of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, fourteen thousand feet high ; having toiled to the top of Haleakala, ten thousand feet, and stood within its extinct crater, twenty-seven miles in circumfer ence, — I longed to see Mount Hecla, which conceals under its mantle of perpetual snow volcanic fires which have many times spread desolation for several

PREFACE.

. VI miles around its base. 2. The hope of collecting specimens of natural history from this isolated region ; and 3. The desire of seeing its curious and remarkable people, enjoying the rare celebration of the thousandth birthday of their country. We are making extensive preparations to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of our national inde pendence in 1876; and we naturally call to mind the great advance of our country and of the world in that century — political, educational, financial, social, and religious — in which America has taken a most prominent and honorable part. But what has Iceland done for humanity or for itself, that it should publish to the nations its millennial celebration ? It has done much for liberty, the advance of knowledge, and the preservation of historic records ; and at a time when other more favored nations were stationary or going back to the darkness »f ignorance and superstition, — and under conditions of isolation and hardship, which prove that man is superior to his surroundings, and that misery cannot stifle the aspirations of liberty, nor degrade a poetic and heroic race.

I propose to take up the subjects in the following order : — 1. What we saw on the way, including the islands to the north of Scotland, all at some time invaded or inhabited by the same race that peopled Iceland ;

PREFACE.

. VII the reader is thus better prepared for the Icelandic national traits, and will better understand their his tory, especially its relation to maritime discovery and the settlement of Greenland and America five cen turies before the time of Columbus. 2. The royal reception in Iceland, and the com mencement of the festivities, with an account of the strange physical conformation of the island. 3. The volcanic phenomena of Iceland with the millennial celebration in the lava valley of Thing valla. 4. The Geysers and Mount Hecla. 5. The characteristics of the people. 6. Their history, present condition, and hopes in the future. In addition to my own experience, I have consulted all original works on Iceland within my reach, from Banks and Van Troil in 1772 and< 1780, Olafsen and Paulsen, Mackenzie and Henderson, to Professor Anderson's writings in 1875.

Information received since the text was stereotyped has been embodied in " Notes " at the end of the work. The reader is referred to these in advance, especially the latest account from a friend in Iceland of the great erup tion of 1875. The illustrations have been made by the " Photo- Engraving Company " of New York ; the greater

PREFACE.

. VIII part of them from original photographs obtained by me in Iceland. Though in many cases incorrect, I have adopted the spelling of Icelandic names most familiar to Eng lish readers, lest I should be suspected of affecting a knowledge of the Icelandic language which I do not possess. In many cases I have used the phonetic spelling, as better than the native assemblage of consonants and vowels, which, if not unpronounce able, seem oftenunnecessary. I think the interest of the book will thus in no wise be diminished. S. K. Boston, Oct. 20, 1875. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. — ♦ — The American Party. (To face Title Page). PAGE Map of Iceland 8 Street in Thorshavn, Faroes, 1874 44 Street in Reykjavik, Iceland, with Hospital, 1874 64 Harbor of Reykjavik at the arrival of the King 66 Governor's House, and Road to Thingvalla . . 106 Chasm of Allmannagja 112 Waterfall at Thingvalla 132 Bird's-eye View of Thingvalla at Millennial . . 120 Reception of King at Thingvalla 122 Church and Parsonage at Thingvalla 132 Eruption of Great Geyser, 1874 148 Eruption of Strokr, August 5, 1874 152 Diagram of Geyser 158 Diagram of Strokr 159 Norseman of Faroe Islands, 1874 192 Icelandic Student, 1874 192 Festival Costume, 1874: The Faldr 192 Common Head-dress, 1874 : The Hufa 192 Dr. Hjaltalin, of Reykjavik, 1874 CONTENTS.

Chapter I. The Orkney Islands

Our Party. — Aberdeen. — The Start. — The Northern Islands. — Early History. — Kirkwall. — Cathedral of St. Magnus. — Old Palaces. — Mound of Maeshowe. — Stones of Stenness. — Finstown and its Bigotry. — Circle of Brogar. — Stromness. — Hugh Miller. — Walter Scott. — Scenery . .

Chapter II. The Shetland Islands

Rock Scenery. — Rough Seas. — Fair Isle. — Sumburgh Head. — Early History. — Lerwick, the Capital. — Scalloway Castle. — Tingwall. — Peat-Cutters. — Scott's " Pirate." — Bressay Cave. — The Holm of Noss. — Sea-Birds. — Anderson Institute and Asylum. — People. — Hosiery and Shawls. — Shetland Ponies. — Departure for the Faroes 26

Chapter III. The Faroe Islands

Rough Seas and Fog. — Dangerous Navigation. — Scenery. — Characteristics of the Faroes. — Early History. — Occupations of the People. — Thorshavn, the Capital. — The Danish Fleet. — Houses, Streets, and Shops. — Living Norsemen. — Reception of the King of Denmark. — Church Service. — A Gala Day. — Start for Iceland 3S CONTENTS. 4

Chapter IV. Off For Iceland

Start for Iceland. — Sunshine and Clouds. — Song and Dance. — Sea-Sickness. — The Kraken and Sea-Serpent. — Furious Gale. — Westmann Islands. — First Glimpses of Iceland. — The Dangerous Coast. — Position and Size of the Island. — Reykjavik, the Capital. — Preparations for the King. — First Impressions of the Town 53

Chapter V. Celebration At Reykjavik

Reykjavik. — Streets and Houses. — Visits to Officials. — Arrival of the Royal Fleet. — Reception of the King by the People. — Hot Springs. — Salmon. — Services in the Church. — Sweet Singing. — The Millennial National Hymn. — Royal Banquet. — The King's Toast. — Festivities on the Hill of Oskjuhlid. — Bayard Taylor's Poetic Greeting to Iceland. — Hyperborean Merrymaking. — Dreary Surroundings. — End of the First Day's Celebration 64

Chapter VI. Physical Characters Of Iceland

The Northern Ice. — Blockade of the North Shore. — Climate. — Safeguard of Northern Europe. — Chains of Jokuls or Snowy Mountains. — Glaciers. — Volcanic Origin of Island. — Fiords and Settlements. — Difficult Travelling. — Desert of Iceland. — Rivers. — Waterfalls. — Lakes. — North Coast. — North-western Peninsula. — Religious Ideas as influenced by Physical Characters of a Country. — The Olympus of Jupiter and .Walhalla of Thor 83

Chapter VII. The Valley Of Thingvalla

Thingvalla. — Travelling in Iceland. — Horses, and their Loading. — Rivers. — Lava Roads. — Character of Country. — Farm-Houses. — Noon Stop. — Lake of Thingvalla. — Chasm of Almannagja. — Manner of its Formation. — Entrance to Valley. — Encampment CONTENTS. 5

Chapter VIII. The Celebration At Thingvalla

Fissured Lava. — The Logberg, or Mount of Laws. — Meetings of the Althing. — Introduction of Christianity. — The Valley in Gala Dress. — Reception of the King, and Address of Welcome. — Speeches at the Mount. — King and People. — Breakfast to the King. — Poetic Greeting. — Dinner Speeches. — Departure of the King. — Dismal Night and Stormy Day. — Return Journey. — Different Experiences of Travellers, and Consequent Estimates of the Country. — Republics of Iceland and America Compared 116

Chapter IX. Route To The Geysers

Church and Parsonage at Thingvalla. — Trees in Iceland. — Miles of Desolation. — Raven's Chasm. — Snuff-taking. — Lava Cavern. — Mount Hecla. — Bruara or Bridge River. — Steam Jets. — Accident to one of our Party. — Geyser Valley. — Cooking in the Little Geyser. — Great Expectations Disappointed. — Domestic and Medicinal Uses of the Water. — Beautiful Scenery of the Valley 133

Chapter X. In The Valley Of The Geysers

Geysers and Steam Jets. — Their Water. — Great Geyser. — Its Mound, Basin, and Pipe. — Its Eruptions. — Little Geyser and its Uses. — The Strokr. — Its Provoked Eruptions. — Cooking by its Waters. — Theories of the Geysers : Lyell's, Bunsen's, and Tyndall's. — The Power in the Tube, and not in any Subterranean Chambers. — Agency of Steam. — Diagrams of Geyser and Strokr. — The King's Memento and Departure. — Farewell to the Valley CONTENTS. I So

Chapter XI. The Old Norsemen

The Old Norsemen. — Exposure of Children. — Eating of Horse-flesh. — Marriage Customs. — Dwellings. — Hospitality. — Male Costume. — Female Dress. — Vikings. — Navigation. — Amusements. — Banquets. — Sports. — Respect for the Dead. — Characters and Origin. — Scandinavian Influence in Europe and America 162

Chapter XII. The People Of Iceland

Influence of Climate. — Physical Appearance. — Dispositions. — Signs of Hospitality. — Love of Country. — Emigration to America. — Population. — Occupations. — Haying. — Ways of Reckoning Time. — Houses. — Want of Air. — National Costume. — Picturesque Head-dresses. — Ornaments. — Religion of the Old Norsemen. — Introduction of Christianity. — Social Relations. — Oriental Characteristics. — Decline of Romanism, and Acceptance of Doctrines of Luther. — Iceland Parishes. — Theology Contradicted by Science. — Depressing Influences acting on the People . .

Chapter XIII. Political History Of Iceland

Peculiar History. — British and Norwegian Settlers. — Naddodr and Gardar. — Floki, of the Ravens. — Ingolf and Leif, A.D. 874. — Norwegian Exodus. — Republic of Iceland. Magistrates and their Duties. — Intrigues of Norway, and Downfall of the Republic. — Decline of the People. — Later History. — Revolutionary Disturbances. — Governors of Iceland CONTENTS. 7

Chapter XIV. Discovery Of America

Ante-Columbian Discovery of America. — Early European Colonists. — Phenicians. — Chinese. — Picts. — Icelandic Discovery of Greenland in Tenth Century. — Erik the Red. — Fate of the Colonists. — Discovery of America in Tenth Century. — Bjarne. — Leif. — Thorwald and Thorfinn. — Traces of the Norse Colonies in Massachusetts. — Dighton Rock. — Newport Tower. — Discovery by Columbus. — Honor due to him as the real Discoverer. — What might have been 217

Chapter XV. Literature Of Iceland

Literary and Heroic Age. — Eddas and Sagas. — The Skalds. — Heimskringla. — Landnamabok. — Icelandic Poetry. — Value of Icelandic Literature in the Estimation of Scholars. — Language, and its Relations to the Anglo-Saxon. — Lord's Prayer in Norse. — Education of the People. — John Thorlakson. — Schools. — Newspapers. — Library at Reykjavik — Thorwaldsen's Font 232

Chapter XVI. Volcanic History Of Iceland

Extent of Jokuls. — Trap. — Oscillations of the Soil. — Ellborg. — Eruptive Periods. — Line of Volcanic Energy. — Number of Great Eruptions. — Glaciers. — Krabla. — Katlugia, and its Floods of Water. — Skaptar Jokul. — Hecla, and its Eruptions. — Ascent of Hecla. — Vatna Jokul, and the Terrible Eruption of 1S74-75. — Destitution of the People. — Forms of Lava. — Causes of Volcanoes. — Theories of Central Fire, Chemical Action, and Accumulations within the Crust of the Earth. — Mallet's Theory of Shrinking of the Crust, and Conversion of this Motion into Heat . . . CONTENTS.

Chapter XVII. Geology And Mineralogy

Lava. — Palagonite. — Tufa. — Basalt, or Trap. — Elevation and Subsidence. — Action of Ice. — Glaciers. — Action of Water. — Heights of Mountains. — Surturbrand, or Iceland Lignite. — Origin. — Drift Wood, or Local Forests. — — Supposed Former Warmer Climate. — Iceland Spar. — Obsidian. — Minerals. — Sulphur 277

Chapter XVIII. Icelanders In America

Icelandic Emigration. — Colony in Brazil ; in British America ; in Wisconsin ; in Alaska ; in the Red River Valley. — Noted Icelanders in Great Britain and the United States. — Millennial Celebration in America 288

Chapter XIX. The Future Of Iceland

Political Agitation in Iceland. — The New Constitution, and its Provisions. — Analysis of it. — What it is good for. — Disappointment of the People. — Allegorical Picture of the Past and Present of Iceland. — Author's Impressions of the People. — What is wanted for the Future Prosperity of Iceland 294

Chapter XX. Useful Information

What there is to see in Iceland. — Useful Information for Travellers. — Where and how to start. — Clothing, Tent, and Food. — Expenses and Money. — Who should go to Iceland 314 Notes

Chapter I. The Orkney Islands

Our Party. — Aberdeen. — The Start. — The Northern Islands. — Early History. — Kirkwall. — Cathedral of St. Magnus. — Old Palaces. — Mound of Maeshowe. — Stones of Stenness. — Finstown and its Bigotry. — Circle of Brogar. — Stromness. — Hugh Miller. — Walter Scott.— Scenery. But I remember when we sailed From out that dreary Forth, And in the dull of morning hailed The headlands of the North : The hills of Caithness, wrapped in rain ; The reach of Stroma's isle ; The Pentland, where the furious main Roars white for many a mile, — Until we steered by Shapinsay, And moored our bark in Kirkwall Bay." ' I "'HE considerations mentioned in the preface impelled me to recross the Atlantic ; encounter the rough seas, chilly fogs, and dangerous navigation of the Northern Ocean ; and submit to the cold rains, scanty food, miserable shelter, and toilsome travelling which I had reason, from travellers' tales, to expect in Iceland. i* Our party consisted originally of five Americans : Mr. C. W. Field, of Atlantic cable fame ; Dr. Hayes, the Arctic explorer; Bayard Taylor, the traveller poet ; Mr. Halstead, of the " Cincinnati Commercial ; " while I represented New England and some of her scientific and educational institutions.

Not being a correspondent of any newspaper, and having no busi ness interests to serve, I went solely to see the country and become acquainted with the characteristics of the people. When we met in the north of Scotland, we were joined by a younger son of Mr. Gladstone, ex- Premier of England, and by a native Icelander, Mr. Eric Magnusson, sub-librarian at Cambridge Univer sity, England, and professor of the Scandinavian languages in that university, who was invited to go with us, and who rendered us invaluable services, both in our intercourse with the people and the authorities, and in making the necessary arrange ments for our trip into the interior, to witness the millennial festivities. We fitted up, manned, and provisioned a small but staunch screw steamer of about 200 tons, the "Albion," at Edinburgh.

She was commanded by Captain A. Howling, of Leith, a fine specimen of the British seaman, whose ideas had been enlarged by acquaintance with other countries than his own, and to whose knowledge of the northern islands and of Icelandic waters much of our enjoyment from a sense of security was due. Owing to some ridiculous provisions of the English laws, we found it necessary, in order to get away through maritime legal meshes, to enrol ourselves in the shipping-office as British sailors for the voyage, promising to uphold the honor and dignity of Great Britain, and to behave ourselves like good seamen. After signing the papers in due form, we sailed from Leith, the port of Edinburgh, on the 20th of July, 1874; or rather I sailed, the rest of the party joining the steamer at Aberdeen, whence we sailed on the 22d for the Orkney Islands.

English speaking travellers should approach Iceland, as we did, by way of Scotland, the Orkneys, Shetlands, and Faroe Islands. All these bear traces, both in language and customs, of the old Scandinavians, the Norse vikings, sea-kings, — or pirates, if you will, — who set tled in these islands and in the north of Scotland before the historic period. The volcanic character of the scenery, which attains such a remarkable wildness in Iceland, begins even in Edinburgh and its surroundings to attract attention. All this region of the North ern Ocean, even to Jan Meyen, has been the scene of terrible volcanic disturbance, and bears marks not only of fire, but of the irresistible glacier and of the tremendous blows of the Northern Ocean. The transition from " Arthur's Seat " to Mount Hecla and the chasms of Thingvalla is geologically a very natural one.

Our party met at the Douglas Hotel in Aberdeen, after a deal of trouble. Arriving, as we did, some from Edinburgh, some from London, and others from the North of Scotland, each sought his room at night or early morning. Like many other Scottish hotels, this one kept no register, and therefore it was impossible to ascertain the names of those who arrived ; and being, from short acquaintance, unable to give such a description of each other as "boots" would under stand, we were in blissful ignorance of each other's proximity, until hunger, which fortunately pervades the human economy every morning, brought us to gether in the breakfast-room. We wandered about the clean and picturesque city, reminding me much of some of the business-parts of Boston in its granite-faced buildings and stores. Making a few purchases of water-proof clothing, I soon found that the Aberdonian sharpness in trade, against which I had been warned, was such that one could easily believe the story that an unfortunate Jew, who undertook to do business there, was soon starved out.

Talk about shrewdness : the Yankee is very far inferior to his Scotch cousin. We started about 6 p.m. in a drizzling rain, a small wharf-committee being in attendance, attracted by the unusual sight of a steamer bearing both the Ameri can and the English flags, and one, so small, about to visit the distant and dangerous shores of Iceland. We were obliged to wait until the high tide would allow the docks to be opened. The sea was calm, except a long swell, and gave no indication of the " Spanish waves " we encountered in the Northern Ocean. The rain soon ceased, and the sunset-clouds were very beautiful in their ever-changing hues and their reflections on the water. Soon after coming in sight of the spires of Peterhead, a fog set in, forcing us to go very slowly through the returning fleet of fishing-boats, which answered our shrill warning whistle with a melancholy, pitiful toot.

We arrived in the harbor of Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkneys, the next morning about nine o'clock, dropping anchor quite near the shore. The Orkneys — distant only fourteen hours by steamer from Aberdeen, Scotland — are very beautiful as seen rising from the blue waters of the sum mer Northern Sea ; some are low, others high ; some with quiet beaches, others with wave-washed cliffs. The fields are green, the birds numerous on land and water, and the air has that peculiar exhilarating char acter, of mixed sea and land breeze, which is noticed at such places as Nahant, Nantucket, the Isles of Shoals, and Mount Desert. Even in Edinburgh, the American is astonished to find that he can read in the open air at nine in the evening. This length of day grows more and more conspicuous as you go north toward the midnight sun.

In the Orkneys, the sun rises in summer at about 3 a.m., and sets about 9.30 p.m. ; the longest day being 21 _% hours ; the short est being from 9 a.m. to 3.15 p.m., or 6^ hours, in winter. The daylight seems to linger almost to midnight, and the coming daylight of the morrow seems to arise, almost without interruption, from the light of the preceding evening. This is neither the time nor place to detail the bold and cruel deeds of the northern sea-kings. Their early history is involved in obscurity ; but we know that these islands were certainly settled about 400 B.C. by Picts, — by some considered a Teutonic, by others a Celtic race. Here their barbarous hordes lived till they were overpowered by the Roman emperor Clau dius, a.d. 53. These islands were known to the Ro man historians as the Orcades.

Three centuries afterward they were conquered by the Saxons. All these northern nations worshipped Odin, till the introduction of what was then considered Christianity, in the tenth century. Christianity — as forced by King Olaf of Norway on the Jarl Sigurd, the principal chief of the Orkneys — consisted simply in the ad ministration of baptism, without any attempt to explain its doctrines ; and the so-called conversions of that time, and unfortunately many other conversions in other lands in more modern times, comprehended nothing more than the performance of a ceremony meaningless to those who adopted the name of the new religion. When Norway was subdued by King Harald Haarfager, in the middle of the ninth century, many of the petty chiefs with their followers went over to the Orkneys and the islands to the north, where they established themselves, plundering the mother country when opportunity offered.

This so exasperated the king that he sent an army to con quer them, placing over them rulers, or jarls, of his own selection. These in their turn invaded Scotland, whose northern parts show many traces, both in peo ple and ruins, of the Norse element. After centuries of fighting with each other, invading England, Ire land, and Scotland, they embraced, as has been stated, Christianity, in the tenth century. Among the most interesting things in Kirkwall is the Cathedral of St. Magnus, begun in 11 37 by jarl Ronald, in memory of his uncle, basely murdered by his cousin Hacon twenty-seven years before ; this he built in conformity with a vow, made in case of victory over the Scotch, that he would erect in Kirk wall a church whose magnificence should be the wonder and admiration of future ages.

Magnus Sec- AN AMERICAN IN LCELAND. ond succeeded to the jarldom in 123 1, and from him Alexander, king of Scotland, took Sutherlandshire, which up to this time belonged to the jarldom of Orkney. William, son of the Earl Henry who died in 1420, was the last of the Orkney j aris. Alexander III. of Scotland had agreed to pay Norway 100 marks yearly for the cession of the Western Islands. No payments having been made from 1426 to 1457, Nor way became impatient for the Charles VII. of France, as arbitrator, recommended a marriage between the Prince of Scotland and the Prin cess of Denmark. This was effected in 1468, Orkney being given as security for the payment of 50,000 florins, and Shetland was pledged for 8,000. The islands were never reclaimed, and were annexed in this way to the British empire in that year, under James III., and have since been in the hands of several families, and are now in the Dundas family.

Kirkwall, the capital, is a place of great antiquity, with a good harbor and considerable shipping. The streets are narrow, often steep, and well paved ; the houses are very quaint-looking, and a Sunday still ness seemed everywhere to reign, the greater part of the idle male population having gone down to the quay to see the (to them) almost unknown American flag. Their curiosity was not intrusive, and they di rected us with eager politeness. The great point of interest here to all travellers, the Cathedral of St. Magnus, is more than seven centuries old, quite perfect, and one of the best specimens of the early Gothic architecture in existence. It is very surprising to see in this out-of-the way place, of a few thousand inhabitants, a massive church of red sandstone, 226 feet long and 56 wide, the cross or transept being 92 by 28; 71 feet high inside, and 140 to the top of the present spire.

Its colonnades, arches, doors, and windows are worthy of examination by all lovers of architecture. The cross is the oldest part, containing four massive Gothic pillars, 24 ft. in circumference, spanned by five arches, the central spire resting upon these ; and the six pillars next are perhaps even older. In the choir is the famous Gothic "rose-window," three and a half centuries old, 36 feet high and 12 feet wide, of four arches, separated by three stone divisions, surmounted by the twelve-leaved rose. The three bells, of almost equal age, are rung by the feet and hands, the tongues being made to strike against the side of the bell. The west or principal door, three centuries old, still shows traces of its elaborate stone carvings. The interior is simple and grand, somewhat marred by a portion walled up to the roof to accommodate in com fort the more tender congregations of the present time.

The aisles and floors contain several strangely B sculptured stones, marking the resting-place of many Norse celebrities. The steeple looks stunted, having been almost destroyed by lightning in 1671, and never rebuilt. From the top is a magnificent view of the town and many of the adjacent islands and ruined buildings. Among the noteworthy ruins are those of the Bish op's and the Earl's Palaces. In the former, of un known but great antiquity, King Haco of Norway died in 1263; the tower now standing was built by Bishop Reid in 1540; it is circular on the outside, but square on the inside, containing on the outer wall a statue of himself ; the staircase is so decayed that the ascent is now forbidden. The Earl's Palace, near the cathedral, is also in ruins, a monument of the cruelty and oppression of the famous Earl Patrick Stewart, who in the sixteenth century defied the power of the king, laughed at laws, robbed and murdered the people, compelling them to build his castles and palaces in several of these islands ; the same tyrant oppressed the people of the Shetlands, till his crimes became so intolerable that he was seized, and carried to Edinburgh, where he was beheaded in 1615.

Our party then took a carriage to the Mound of Maeshowe, about nine miles from Kirkwall, one of the most important antiquarian discoveries in Great Britain. It is a large mound of earth, of circular shape, 36 feet high, and 90 feet in diameter, sur rounded by a shallow trench 40 feet wide. It con tains a central chamber 15 feet square and 13 feet high, from which branch off three cells, to the north, south, and east, about 3 feet high, and from 5^ to 7 feet long, and 4^ wide ; the roofs, floors, and back walls are each composed of a single stone, and each could be closed by a single stone, found on the floor. On the west side is the door-way, 2^ feet high and wide, giving access to a passage 54 feet long, of large stone slabs set on edge, opening into the chamber. Probably it was originally a great chambered barrow on the surface of the ground, afterward covered with stones and earth from the surrounding trench.

Anti quarians are not agreed as to the age of this mound, but the most probable opinion is, that it was built as a place of burial for distinguished personages by the Celts or Picts, as early as the eighth or ninth cen tury. Though the architecture is primitive, the work must have required much time and labor. It had evidently been opened at some remote period by the Norsemen, as the stones in the interior were found scattered about, with much rubbish. The walls are covered with runes and inscriptions of various dates, most of them belonging to the Norwegian division of the Scandinavian class, and not older than the middle of the twelfth century. There are more than one thousand inscriptions, and many figures of animals, one of them a winged dragon, pierced by a sword. On the road to Maeshowe is a miserable-looking hamlet, of about two hundred souls, called Finstown, interesting for nothing but the fact that its few inhabitants require for their spiritual needs three churches, — the Established, Free, and Independent : the second having the finest building.

This was to me the most pitiful exhibition of theologic bigotry and narrow-mindedness that I had ever seen. I was not unacquainted with the puerile divisions of like character in some of our New England towns, where each "ist" or "arian" sect must have not only its own preacher, but its teacher, doctor, grocer, black smith, and haberdasher of the same theologic stripe ; never meeting in friendly intercourse or interchange of opinions, but each .travelling stiffly in its narrow rut, which it fondly believes is the sole path of salva tion ; each hugging its grain of truth as if it were the whole truth, — but Finstown is entitled to the prize for the "least possible amount of Christian charity." When will these bitter sectarians discover that theology is not religion ; that creeds are not truths ; that blind faith, selfish pursuit of present or promised happiness, and obedience to the letter, regardless of the spirit, of supposed divine law, are not virtues !