Part 10

The doors of this structure are low and arched, surrounded by a curious embroidery of the same red stone as the rest of the building. On entering the main portal, the space not allotted to public worship, the roof is supported by a double row of enormous columns, eight on each side: they are very simple and plain, composed of square stones laid over each other horizontally, and the shafts of the pillars are of the same diameter from their capitals to their bases. Owing to the moisture of the place, a green mould has covered them, and given to the interior a most venerable aspect.

Passing up the centre of the isle between these aged pillars, we arrive at the centre of the cross, where four immense fluted columns support the spire, bells, and clock. A boarded partition then runs across the church; and a scrap of Scripture painted over a door marks out the place of modern worship. The interior of this part is neat, and ornamented with some fine specimens of carved oak, about two hundred years old. Over many of the seats are antique escutcheons of the former Earls of _Orkney_. The one appertaining to Earl Patrick Stuart, last Earl of _Orkney_, (who was beheaded,) was quartered with lions and ships, and inscribed thus:

E SIC · FVIT · EST · ET · ERIT = P : S

We had the curiosity to go up to the belfry, by spiral staircases between the outer and inner walls of the cathedral. The number and intricacy of these dark passages was really astonishing; and the darkness of the place inspiring gloomy ideas, we fancied that it was in such dismal recesses that the bigotted monks used formerly to immure their victims. There is one fine bell, and two inferior ones, in the church, and a noble clock by a _Scotch_ mechanist. From the belfry, a small door opens upon a rough ledge about two feet wide: the view from this dizzy height was extremely fine, as the town of _Kirkwall_, the adjacent islands, and numerous lochs, appear to lie in a panoramic view beneath the feet: but we were truly glad to re-enter the belfry, as the want of security on the ledge quite destroyed the pleasure arising from so fine a prospect.

On leaving the Cathedral of _St. Magnus_, we stepped aside, between the enormous circular columns before mentioned, to observe the only sepulchral arch of any antique appearance in the place. There was a shield sculptured at the apex, bearing three _hearts_ as a device; from which we conjectured that it must have received the ashes of a _Douglas_—the _heart_ having been the device of this family ever since the heart of the far-famed _Bruce_ was conveyed, by that king’s desire, to the _Holy Land_, by an Earl _Douglas_[43].

This noble cathedral is said to have been built in the year 1200, and is in an excellent state of preservation.

On the right of _St. Magnus_ stand the ruins of the palaces formerly inhabited by the Earls and Bishops of _Orkney_. The cathedral and palace are within a stone’s throw of each other; but the latter stands on each side of a space which appears to have been the former court-yard of the building. The entrance to this court-yard is by a low arched gateway. The palace of the Earls is in better preservation than the cathedral; and it is to be regretted, that the dilapidations to which it is exposed are suffered to take place.

The corners of the Earl’s palace are laden with immense turrets, which give the building a very heavy appearance. The main portal is a massy low doorway; and the ascent to the great hall is by a fine broad flight of stone steps. Within the hall are two arched fire-places, each sufficiently capacious to roast a whole ox at a time. One of the fire-places is formed beneath an arch constructed in the usual way; but the other is considered as a curiosity in architecture: it is a plane arch, supported by the transverse joining of the stones without the aid of cement. The windows of the hall are high and arched, but without either frame-work or glass.

The Bishop’s palace is now nearly destroyed; and, from the unceasing attacks made upon it, will soon be entirely so.

It is difficult to ascertain the original shape of this venerable structure; there being but two walls now remaining. At the end of one of these walls is a circular tower, of great strength and solidity, which, probably, was intended for the defence of the palace. Although the Earl and the Bishop had their residences so near to each other, yet the temporal and ecclesiastical Chiefs were ever at variance, and their quarrels and intrigues occupy a large portion of the _Orkney_ history.

The town of _Kirkwall_ consists of one long narrow street, which, from its proximity to the sea, and its central situation, was chosen to be the metropolis of the _Orkneys_ many years ago: it is now a royal burgh, and it sends one member to Parliament. The street is generally damp and muddy, and there are very few good-looking houses in it. The house of a gentleman of the name of _Baikie_ has five or six trees growing before it; and these are, I believe, almost the only trees in _Orkney_; although it be proved, from the number of roots dug up occasionally, that the _Orkneys_, in former times, were by no means destitute of wood[44].

The town is badly lighted; but, in this respect, it is superior to _Stromness_; which place cannot boast of a single lamp. When we mentioned this inconvenience, during a conversation with one of the magistrates, he most ingeniously parried the attack, by asserting that the inhabitants were all so sober and good, that they never quitted their houses after dark; consequently the lighting of the town would be attended with _unnecessary_ expense and trouble.

The people of _Kirkwall_ boast much of the _Ayr_, a public promenade belonging to the town. The _Ayr_ is a natural embankment, projecting like a pier into the sea, and it is washed on both sides by the water. In summer time, the _Ayr_ must prove a very refreshing walk, and an agreeable escape from the filthy street of _Kirkwall_.

With regard to the people of _Orkney_, it will be only necessary to add, that a most unbounded hospitality is their leading characteristic; and perhaps an eager curiosity is also an equally prominent trait. When a stranger enters the town of _Kirkwall_, the intelligence of his arrival flies with the rapidity of wild-fire: the old women, with their knitting apparatus in their hands, stand staring at the doors; and they hardly suffer him to pass, before his ears are assailed by a general inquiry of “_D’ye ken wha that chiel is?_” This exclamation is repeated by a dozen voices at once, at every door he passes in his route; and he will perhaps feel uneasy in thus becoming an object of scrutiny to the whole population.

The people of _Orkney_ are naturally grave and sober, with much outward appearance of devotion; yet, at the annual fair which is held at _Kirkwall_, they suddenly relax into the most unbridled licentiousness: neither are they in general to be admired for the honour or liberality of their dealings, as they delight in making what is called a “_gude bargain_;” and they feel no hesitation in overcharging a stranger, to accomplish this desirable end.

I shall here conclude this Narrative; merely adding, that the _Rosamond_ and her convoy again sailed from the _Orkneys_ on the 7th of _November_, and arrived safe at the _Nore_ on the 17th of the same month; when an inspection having been made of the _Rosamond_’s defects, she was reported to be totally unfit for sea, in consequence of the damage she had sustained amongst the ice of _Hudson’s Straits_; and she was accordingly put out of commission, and immediately advertised to be sold out of His Majesty’s service.

Appendix (A). STATEMENT _of the_ VARIATION _of the_ COMPASS, WEST FROM LONDON.

From the Latitude of 59° 00 N. From the Longitude of 3° to 6° 28° 6° ... 12° 31° 12° ... 16° 32° 16° ... 18° 34° 18° ... 22° 36° 22° ... 26° 38° 26° ... 30° 40° 30° ... 34° 42° 34° ... 39° 44° 39° ... 42° 45° 42° ... 60° 45° 60° ... 63° 47° 63° ... 78° into Lat. 63° N. 48° & 49° 78° ... 81° 62° 40′ 48° 81° 45′ ... — 62° 38′ 46° 82° — ... — 62° 36′ 44° 82° 15′ ... — 62° 34′ 42° 82° 00′ ... — 62° 32′ 40° 82° 45′ ... — 62° 30′ 38° 83° — ... — 62° 25′ 36° 83° 30′ ... — 62° 00′ 33° 85° 00′ ... — 61° 30′ 28° 87° 00′ ... — 60° 45′ 22° 89° — ... — 59° 45′ 19° 91° — ... 92° 59° 00′ 11° 92° — ... 95° 59° 00′ 5°

Lat. of _Hoy Head_ 58° 58′ N. Long. 3° 30′ W. —— of _York Factory_ 57° 2′ N. —— 92° 40′ W. —— of _Cape Churchill_ 58° 50′ N. —— 93° 4′ W. —— Where the Ships lay at _York_ 57° 8′ N. —— 92° 30′ W.

Appendix (B). TABLE _of the_ VOYAGES _of the_ COMPANY’S SHIPS _to_ HUDSON’S BAY, _since the Year 1773_.

Date. Arrived Arrived Arrived Whither Arrived at abreast of abreast of abreast of bound. _Hudson’s _Charles_. _Cape Diggs_. _Mansfield Bay_. Isle_.

1773 Did not see Aug. 12 Did not see it CR Aug. 20 it 1774 Aug. 6 . . . Aug. 9 MR Sept. 5 1779 Aug. 22 Aug. 24 Aug. 25 MR Sept. 3 1780 Aug. 21 Aug. 25 . . . MR Sept. 4 1783 Sept. 2 Sept. 4 . . . MR Sept. 17 1784 Aug. 21 Aug. 25 Aug. 26 YF Aug. 31 1788 July 31 Aug. 1 . . . MR Aug. 15 1789 Aug. 4 Aug. 7 Aug. 7 YF Aug. 16 1791 Aug. 19 Aug. 21 Aug. 22 CR Aug. 31 1793 July 29 Aug. 2 . . . YF Aug. 11 1794 Aug. 4 Aug. 6 . . . CR Aug. 16 1796 Aug. 1 Aug. 2 . . . MR Aug. 20 1797 July 29 Aug. 4 . . . MR Aug. 28 1798 Aug. 22 Aug. 26 . . . MR Sept. 5 1799 Aug. 19 Aug. 21 . . . MR Aug. 30 1800 . . . Aug. 29 . . . YF Sept. 6 1801 . . . Aug. 6 . . . CR Aug. 16 1802 Aug. 4 Aug. 9 . . . MR Aug. 11 1803 . . . Aug. 4 Aug. 5 MR Aug. 5 1804 July 28 July 30 . . . MR Aug. 5 1805 Aug. 9 Aug. 10 Aug. 11 MR Aug. 16 1806 Aug. 1 Aug. 5 . . . MR Aug. 17 1807 Aug. 22 Aug. 29 Aug. 31 YF Sept. 18 1808 July 20 July 24 . . . MR Aug. 14 1809 Aug. 16 Aug. 20 . . . MR Aug. 30 1810 July 21 July 30 . . . MR Aug. 10 1811 Sept 13 . . . Sept. 16 MR Sept. 26 1812 . . . . . . . . . CR 1813 . . . Aug. 11 . . . CR Aug. 19

_Note._—CR signifies _Churchill River_—MR _Mouse River_— YF _York Factory_.

Appendix (C). THERMOMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS MADE AT OXFORD HOUSE, HUDSON’S BAY _In the Year 1811_ UPON THE SCALE OF _FAHRENHEIT_. Shewing the _Extreme Heat_ and _Extreme Cold_ of each Month.

JANUARY.

State of the Atmosphere. _Extreme Heat._ At Noon on the 20th, 38 degrees above 0 Rainy. _Extreme Cold._ At 8 A.M. on the 12th, 51 degrees below 0 Clear.

FEBRUARY.

_Extreme Heat._ At 8 P.M. on the 24th, 39 degrees above 0 Cloudy. _Extreme Cold._ At 8 A.M. on the 20th, 35 degrees below 0 Clear.

MARCH.

_Extreme Heat._ At 8 P.M. on the 17th, 44 degrees above 0 Overcast, Rain. _Extreme Cold._ At 6 A.M. on the 5th, 31 degrees below 0 Clear.

APRIL.

_Extreme Heat._ At 8 P.M. on the 14th, 57 degrees above 0 Overcast. _Extreme Cold._ At 6 A.M. on the 3d, 22 degrees below 0 Clear.

MAY.

_Extreme Heat._ At 8 P.M. on the 30th, 65 degrees above 0 Cloudy. _Extreme Cold._ At 5 A.M. on the 10th, 15 degrees above 0 Clear.

JUNE.

_Extreme Heat._ At 4. A.M. on the 22d, 85 degrees above 0 Thick fog. _Extreme Cold._ At 5 A.M. on the 1st, 32 degrees above 0 Showers.

JULY.

_Extreme Heat._ At 5 A.M. on the 18th, 85 degrees above 0 Clear. _Extreme Cold._ At 5 A.M. on the 29th, 35 degrees above 0 Cloudy.

AUGUST.

_Extreme Heat._ At 8 P.M. on the 17th, 80 degrees above 0 Clear. _Extreme Cold._ At 5 A.M. on the 26th, 37 degrees above 0 Clear.

SEPTEMBER.

_Extreme Heat._ At 5 A.M. on the 6th, 78 degrees above 0 Clear. _Extreme Cold._ At 6 A.M. on the 30th, 18 degrees above 0 Clear.

OCTOBER.

_Extreme Heat._ At 6 A.M. on the 4th, 45 degrees above 0 Clear. _Extreme Cold._ At 6 A.M. on the 21st, 11 degrees below 0 Clear.

NOVEMBER.

_Extreme Heat._ At 6 A.M. on the 2d, 37 degrees above 0 Rather overcast. _Extreme Cold._ At 6 A.M. on the 18th, 26 degrees below 0 Overcast.

DECEMBER.

_Extreme Heat._ At 8 P.M. on the 6th, 22 degrees above 0 Clear. _Extreme Cold._ At 6 A.M. on the 23d, 31 degrees below 0 Cloudy.

Appendix (D.) ABSTRACT _of the_ RECKONING _of the_ VOYAGE _of His_ MAJESTY’S SHIP ROSAMOND, _from_ HUDSON’S STRAITS _to the_ ORKNEYS.

Date. Course Distance Latitude by Latitude Longitude REMARKS. corrected. run. Observation. by by Account. Account.

_Oct._ 6. At 6 P.M. we took our departure from _Cape Resolution_, bearing North by Compass, distant 15 miles. 7. S. E. by 62 miles No 60°.46′N. 62°.50′W. A very thick E. ¼ E. observation misty day, with a tumbling sea. 8. S. E. by 90 miles Sun obscured 60. 7 59.48 In the E. ¾ E. morning the wind shifted to the N. N. E. and blew a heavy gale with a high sea. 9. E. S. E. 187 miles Sun obscured 58.55 54.00 Scudding under a close-reefed main-topsail. 10. E. by S. 154 miles Sun obscured 58.25 49. 6 The wind varying continually, accompanied by heavy hail showers. 11. E. by S. 187 miles Sun obscured 57.54 43.20 A strong wind with a heavy sea. We consider ourselves this day nearly abreast of _Cape Farewell_. 12. E. ¼ S. 200 miles 57°.46′N. 57. 2 A very heavy gale from the North. Scudding under the goose wings of the foresail. 13. E. ½ N. 229 miles 58. 5 29.52 A tremendous high sea running. Scudding under a main-topsail. 14. E. ½ N. 203 miles 58.17 25.34 Scudding in very fierce squalls. _Prince of Wales_ in company. 15. N. 89° E. 165 miles 58.23 18.24 A fine day. Wind in the N. W. quarter, much more moderate. 16. East 186 miles 58.23 12.24 Weather moderate, with a fine fair breeze. 17. E. ¼ N. 152 miles Sun obscured 58.32 7.38 On a calculation, we lost time, since leaving _Cape Resolution_, 3 hrs. 49 min.; for which loss we allow 28 miles. This correction makes the longitude 8°.31′ W. 18. At day-light we saw the Butt of the _Lewis Islands_, having run 70 miles E. ¼ S. since yesterday at noon. Observed the Isles of _Barra_ and _Rona_. 19. In the morning, made all sail; and at noon we anchored in _Stromness_ Harbour, after the shortest passage from _York Fort_ ever before known. The _Prince of Wales_ accompanied us into the harbour.

Appendix (E). LIST OF THE DRESSES, &c. OF THE ESQUIMAUX INDIANS IN HUDSON’S STRAITS _Brought by His Majesty’s Ship_ Rosamond _in_ 1814 AND Presented by LIEUTENANT CHAPPELL to the University Library at _Cambridge_.

Dress of the Men, made of Seal-skins.

Dress of the Women, with a Hood and Tail, made of the Moose-Deer Skins.

Seal-skin Boots of the Men, water proof.

Boots of the Women.

Gloves of ditto.

Dress of an _Esquimaux_ Child, made of the Skins of Sea Mice.

Pouch of Seal-skin.

Ditto of the Dog-fish, with the Fins remaining, as Ornaments.

Small Box made of Rushes, in which they carry their Trinkets.

A most curious Mask for defending the Eyes from the Snow, with a Place for the Ornaments of their Foreheads.

Barb of a Harpoon, with Sculptured Images of Water-Fowls.

Instrument whereby they hurl their Darts, Arrows, and Harpoons.

Two of their Images; the one representing a _Man_, and the other a _Woman_, in the _Esquimaux_ Dress; shewing the first dawning of sculpture, and their inability to represent the human countenance, hands, or feet.

LIST _of Articles illustrating the Manners and Customs of the Natives of the North-western Coast of_ America; _brought to_ Europe _by Commodore_ Billings.