SHETLAND, ZETLAND, or anciently HIALTLAND, and likely the ultima thule of the Romans, a group of about 100 islands, islets, and rocks, 23 of -which are inhabited. They lie between the Atlantic and the North sea, between lats. 59° 51' and GO° 50' n„ and between longs. 0° 53' and 1° 15' w.; but Fair isle, which belongs-to Shetland, lies to the s., and is about midway between Orkney and -Shetland. The group is about 25 leagues n.e. of Orkney, and 44 w. of Area, 325 sq.nailes. There are three chief islands, the largest or Mainland, 60 in. long by 3 to 10 -broad; Yell. 20 by 6 In.; and Unst, 11 by 6 miles. Pop. in 1811, 22,379, and in 1871, 31,608, with -141.2 females to every 100 males, and 5,667 inhabitated houses. In 1871, 67-per cent of the children between the ages of 5 and 13 were receiving education. • In 1869 only 4.7 percent of the births were illegitimate. Lerwick, 272 rn.-n. of Edinburgh, and -95 n. of 'Wick, is the only townin Shetland, and has a custom-house, law courts,-and other public offices, and about 70 shops. Its pop. in 1871 was 3,516. It has a fine natural harbor, and has steam communication with Gmnton biweekly in summer, and weekly in winter, -for passengers, mails, and a large part of the exports from and imports into Shetland. Fort Charlotte, now used as a prison, court-house, etc., is at the n. end of the town, and adds to its picturesqueness. Lerwick has two hotels, two licensed public-houses, and several lodging-houses. The chief imports are oatmeal, flour, tea, tobacco, spirits, -sugar, cottons, woolens, timber (chiefly from Norway), tar, salt, etc. From .1'15,000 to £20,000 worth of bread-stuff is imported annually to supply the deficiency of native grain. All classes consume much tea. wood grows in the country. In 1875. 244 vessels of 39,605 tons entered, and 214 of 37,116 tons cleared the port of Lerwick. Scalloway and Hillswick are the largest The chief exports are-dried salted fish,.about 3,000 tons annually, about a half to Spain; herrings, 4,000 to 10,000 barrels in the year; about 2,100 cattle and GOO ponies yearly; about 12,000 sheep in 1873; eggs, of which 54,000 have left in one steamer; hand-knitted woolens of great beauty and fineness of work manship; fish oil; chromate of iron from Unst; copper ore from Sandlodge; iron pyrites formerly from Fitful when sulphur was dear. The exports exceed in value
£100,000 annually.
Fishing for cod, ling, herring, is the chief industry, but each fisherman has usually a small farm, at £4 or £5 vearly rent, and mostly worked by the females of his 'family. In 1876 Shetland had 614 "fishing-boats, with 2,772 fishermen and boys. Almost all the small tenants practice spade cultivation. Seals and bottle-nosed whales are often caught. Nearly every house has a quern or hand-mill, and every township has one -or more -of the old Norse water-mills. The spinning-wheel is common, but the spindle is still in use in some parts. Carts are rare, and in many districts unknown. The sheep and ponies run at large on the scatfield or common, and have registered marks; but many large tracts have been inclosed and drained, and now rear first-class cheviot -and black faced sheep. The ?Win, a sandal of untanned leather, is still worn. Some lands are still held runrig, and some islanders on the w. still hold their stock as steel-bow. 'In certain districts, till a very late period, the poor, by the Norse law, went from house to house, and stayed a longer or shorter period in each, according to the size of the farm. The Shetland dialect is a soft and pleasant English, but contains many•peculiar -Norse words. Many of the people still eat their fish wind-dried and slightly tainted. Young men from Shetlaud are employed as sailors in the Peterhead and Duudee whalers, or.at some of the large shipping ports of the kingdom. They are intelligent, sober, and sedate, and are much liked as seamen. Shetland is still subjected to the truck or barter system in local commercial transactions.