state.

the crops having also failed, the people are in a very reduced In such circumstances, rents can hardly be paid either for lands or houses. Yet, with a very few exceptions, no tenant has been turned out of his possession by his landlord. The rents are at present all paid in money. There are 1637 merks land in this ministry. The rental is about L. 2000. The arable ground will measure rather more than 2500 acres.

Exports and Imports.—It is impossible to separate the exports and imports of this parish from the rest of Shetland. Some of the exports of these islands, as extracted from the Custom-House books, are as follows:

The following are some of the imports; oatmeal, 2152 bolls; tobacco, 4788 lbs. ; spirits, 14,830 gallons; coffee, 1419 lbs. ; snuff, 1073 lbs. ; tea, 17,983.

The late Mr Mouat of Garth states, that, in 1831, there were in Shetland 25,000 acres cultivated land,-400,000, uncultivated, -the rental being from L. 26,000 to L. 28,000. He reckons the gross proceeds of lands, fishery, trade, &c. to be L. 300,000 per

annum.

Lakes.-There are many lakes in this parish, abounding with

fish. The principal ones are the lakes of Tingwall, Asta, and Girlsta in Tingwall; and the lake of Strom in Whiteness. In a small holm in Tingwall lake, the Grand Foud held his Court. Girlsta lake is celebrated by Torfæus. He says, it was called Geirhildar-vatn, from the daughter of Floke, a northern pirate, having been lost in it. + In the lake of Strom, there are the remains of a small castle, said to have been inhabited by a son of the Earl of Orkney, who was afterwards slain, by order of his father, at the standing-stone of Tingwall. +

V.-PAROCHIAL ECONOMY,

Harbours.-This parish is better provided with harbours than any in Shetland. To the north, are Deal's Voe, Laxfirth Voe,

See Peterkin's Letter to George Traill, Esq. M. P. † See Hibbert, pp. 268 and 641.

† See Hibbert, p. 460.

Wadbrister Voe, and Catfrith Voe. To the west, Weesdale Voe, Binnaness Voe, and Whiteness Voe. To the south, Scalloway Voe, and Cliffsound. And to the west of Scalloway, there is a cluster of islands belonging to this parish, within all of which there is fine anchorage.

Ecclesiastical State.-There are at present two churches,-one at Tingwall, built in 1788, after a long litigation before the Court of Session,-and one at Whiteness for the united parishes of Whiteness and Weesdale, at which there is a missionary on the Royal Bounty. It stands by the loch of Strom, near to the ancient fortification already noticed, part of which was taken down to help to build the former church. The present church is a new one. The old church was dedicated to St Ola. Near to this, lived Sinclair of Strom, famous for his bravery in defending the rights of the udallers against the Government in 1530. In this contest, the Earl of Caithness was slain. There was formerly a church at Weesdale dedicated to "Our Lady." It was much (sometimes still is) frequented by people from every corner of Shetland, who, by casting in an offering of money at the shrine of "Our Lady," believed they would be delivered from any trouble they laboured under. There is a tradition regarding the building of it, still firmly believed by the superstitious of the islanders. Two wealthy ladies, sisters, having encountered a storm off the coast of Shetland, vowed to "Our Lady," that, if she would bring them safe to land, they would erect a church to her on the first spot they reached. They landed at Weesdale, and immediately commenced building the church. And each morning, when the masons came to work, they found as many stones ready quarried as they required during the day. One of the elders of the church, who lately lived in that neighbourhood, used regularly to gather up the offerings, which he put into the poor's box. A church is building at Scalloway, for the village and its neighbourhood, the walls of which will be finished in a few months.

Stipend. Tingwall is celebrated for its process of augmentation. The Court of Session declaring that they had no power to augment the stipends of the clergy, the incumbent, the Rev. William Mitchell, appealed to the House of Lords, who gave a decision favourable to the clergy. The Court of Session then augmented it to L.578, 13s. Scots, and 108 lispunds of butter, with L.40 for communion elements. It at present amounts to L.254,

14s. 3d., with 20 lispunds butter, and L.8, 6s. 8d. for communion elements.

Education. The parochial school is placed about the middle of Tingwall. There are three schools supported by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, one in Weesdale, one in Whiteness, and one at Scalloway. In the island of Trondra, there is one of the General Assembly's schools: and there is another at Laxfirth, where Mr Hay has built a commodious school and dwelling-house. Owing to the parish being so intersected by voes, there are many children who can attend none of these schools.

Poor.-There is a great proportion of poor, especially in Tingwall parish, and there are no funds for their support but the Sabbath-day collection, to which the absentee heritors have contributed nothing, at least for the last thirty-three years.

June 1841.

PARISH OF NORTHMAVING.

PRESBYTERY OF BURRAVOE, SYNOD OF SHETLAND.

THE REV. WILLIAM STEVENSON, MINISTER.

I. TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY. Name.-SOME suppose that the name Northmavine signifies North Main, i. e. the north part of the Mainland of Zetland. Others imagine, that as the neck of land which divides this parish from that of Delting is called Maven, and as the whole parish lies to the north of it, it has thence derived its name.

Extent, &c.—It is a very extensive parish, being 8 miles broad from east to west, and 16 miles long from north to south. The sea is its boundary on all sides, except where it is joined to the parish of Delting by the neck of land referred to above, and which is only about an hundred yards broad.

Topographical Appearances.-The figure of the parish approaches near to that of a triangle, and its surface is very irregular It is covered with hills, but none of these are of great elevation except Rona's Hill, which, in the former Statistical Account, said to be 3944 feet above the level of the sea; but, lately, it

wa ascertained to be only about 1500 feet. It is the highest hill in Zetland; and from its summit, under a clear and serene sky, which very seldom happens even in the finest summer weather, a most extensive and beautiful prospect is presented to the view.

The coast is very irregular, and intersected by a vast number of voes or bays. The shores for the most part are high and precipitous, except where banks of sand or gravel are formed, and composed of rocks of the hardest description. Other materials would not long endure the fury of the winter's storm.

Around the parish, there are many excellent bays or voes. The principal, the most extensive, and beautiful, is St Magnus Bay, from which many voes run into the interior of the land, where the largest vessels may ride at anchor in the most tempestuous weather, in perfect safety. Upon the west side of the parish, there is Mangaster Voe, Hammer's Voe, Gunister Voe, and Urafirth Voe; but Hillswick is most frequented by vessels, as it is considered a very safe harbour. Upon the south and east side, there is Sullom Voe, which is said to be eight miles long, and Gluss Voe, and Collafirth Voe, and others. Upon the north side of the parish, there is Rona's Voe, and Hamnavoe; the former is said to be six miles long, and is narrow; the latter is an excellent place for vessels riding at anchor: but the entrance to it is very small.

This parish is also surrounded by a great number of small islands or holms, and pillars or rocks, situated near the shore, and which are very picturesque objects, when viewed from a distance. There are the Isle of Eagleshey, the Isle of Niben, the Isle of Gunister, the Isle of Stenness, Gluss Isle, the Isle of Uyea and Fetheland, and the Island of Lamma, and some others. None of these are inhabited at present; and the pasture of most of them is considered excellent, and is famed for producing the richest beef and mutton. And upon the most of them, sheep and cattle are kept in winter as well as summer, without shelter, or receiving fodder of any kind, even in the most inclement seasons.

Here, also, many curious rocks may be seen. The most remarkable is one situated at the back of Hillswick Ness, and called the Drongs. This immense rock rises, almost quite perpendicular, to the height of an hundred feet from the water, and at a distance has the appearance of a vessel under sail. Near to this are two very high pillars, of the same kind of rock with the Drongs, and with the stupendous crags upon the shore. And it is not improbable that these have all been at one time unit

ed together, but have been separated, not by volcanic eruptions, but by the billows of the ocean, which nothing almost can resist, during the winter storms. There is another rock, called Dorholm, from a lofty and spacious arch passing through its centre, and which has the appearance of a door in certain directions. The height of this rock is 76 feet from the water, and the height of the arch is said to be 54 feet. To the north of this, there is a rock called the Maiden Skerry, which is very near, but completely detached from the shore, and on which, it is reported, the foot of man has never trod. Two miles farther north, there is a rock of very great height, called the Osse Skerry, through which also there is a very large arch, which may be seen at an immense distance. Near to Fetheland, there is also a number of very high rocks, called the Ramnastacks. All these rocks and holms, and others that could be mentioned, differ in their appearance from one another, and stand forth amid the waters of the ocean; consequently they are excellent sea-marks to mariners in search of a harbour or place of safety.

Meteorology. The temperature of the atmosphere is very variable, and very moist. Sometimes, however, the barometer remains stationary for several days and weeks, and then the weather is uncommonly fine. I have seen the barometer as high as 31, and as low as 28, in a tremendous gale of wind from the west. The barometer always rises when the wind is northerly, even although it rains heavily. And when it falls suddenly, a very heavy sea may be expected, or a gale of wind.

Rains are frequent, and sometimes very heavy. Some seasons, however, are very dry; the peat-banks are rent asunder, and the grass and crops are injured, even although, in summer evenings, there may be thick fogs and heavy dews to refresh the soil.

The winds are very variable, and the prevailing wind is westerly. During the winter season, when storms and tempests prevail, the wind often changes from one direction to another, suddenly and unexpectedly. Houses are unroofed, crops destroyed, and boats and other property lost; and every season, shipwrecks take place.

The climate is considered mild and temperate. The summer season is very seldom disagreeably or oppressively hot, an equality in the atmosphere being preserved by the surrounding waters, The winter, sometimes, also is very mild, at other times the cold and frost are intense. But although the climate is very damp, it is not considered by any means unhealthy; and warm clothing is