KILDA, ST. The name given to one of the western islands of Scotland, is situated about twenty leagues west ward of North Uist. Its exact position has not been as certained; but its latitude is about 57y, aria its longitude somewhat more than 8°. The natives call it FIerst, and it is also called Hirta. It is not easy to discover the origin of the name St. Kilda. Among the numerous springs of fresh water, is one called Kilder ; and the name Kilda being given to some springs of cold water in Iceland, it is not improbable, that the appellation St. Kilda, may have originated from the abundance of springs in this island. Bede (Mat. Feel. lib. 3. cap 24,) and Camden (Brit. pp. 89, 9u6.) mention a religious woman named Kilda ; who possibly may have wandered to this distant island, and left her name attached to it. That this remote and minute portion of the British empire was deemed worthy of atten tion from the zealous promoters of the Roman Catholic faith, appears from the names given to the ruins, still visi ble, of some small religious edifices. In St Kilda are the remains of three, one called Christ's church, another St. Brianan's, and a third Columba's. In the island Boreray, a few miles westward of St. Kilda, there are the remains of a building, and of a crucifix. On a rock, forming the east side of the bay, at the head of which stands the village of St. Kilda, is a ruin called Duu-fir-Bholug, ‘, the castle of the men of quivers ;" and here also are remains of what have been supposed to have been altars. There is a similar appearance on the islands of Boreray and Soay. In the former island, is to be seen what is called Staller's House. It is built on four pillars, and between these are recesses, each distinguished by its name, viz. Simmidran, Bearran, Ralli, and Raistalla. The whole is roofed with stones, and with earth. In a glen of St. Kilda, opening to south west, is a structure similar to this, called the Female Warrior's House.
This island extends in length about two miles, and in breadth nearly one. It is precipitous on all sides but one, on which there is a bay opening east ward, having a narrow sandy beach at the extremity, uncovered at low water. As there is almost constantly a heavy swell breaking on the beach, it is necessary to land on a shelving rock on the north side, and in doing so there is frequently much diffi culty. It is sometimes practicable to land among the rocks at the opening of the glen, on the opposite side of the is land. Like many others, this island has the appearance of a portion of a more extensive country no longer in exist once. Two mountains, joined together by a ridge, seem
to have been broken, and a portion of each left. The rocks rising from the sea in the vicinity appear also as the re maining halves of detached mountains ; one side sloping, and the other presenting a• lofty perpendicular face. The highest point of St. Kilda appears, fiorn barometrical ob servations made by the writer of this article, to be 1453 feet above the sandy beach mentioned above. The moon tab) Conagra is the highest ; and next the sea it is perpen dicular almost to the very summit. The rocks called Bo reray, Soay, Lavinisln Sec. all present forms highly pictur esque and the whole group forms a scene truly magnifi cent.
From the first appearance of the village, a stranger might suppose that the island was very populous. A great number of huts are built for preserving the fuel, which is turf, and fur the stores of dried birds. The number of in habited huts is small compared to these. The inhabitants in number are considerably under a hundred At the time whet- I the writer visited the island. there were 97 ; 40 males, and 57 females, distributed in 24 families. According to 1M Alin, the number, in 1692, tt as 200. Mr. Macdonald, the author of the Survey of the Hebrides, lound in 1795,87 inhabitants; and, in 1809, the number was 103.
Like the people ol some of the islands nearer the main land, the natives of St Kilda are very dirty in their per sons ; and a very indifferent nose may be sensible of tl2eir approach. Their huts are cleaned but once in the year from the filth which is carefully accumulated in them, and which is preserved for enriching their fields. The straw is also removed from the roofs of the huts every spring, and spread upon the arable land.
The women of St. Kilda are constantly employed with the distaff, and spin very good worsted, which is made into plaids and stockings. Every man is his own weaver, tai lor, and shoemaker. They manufacture horn spoons ; nee dles and fish-hooks out of nails and bits of iron; and brooches out of halfpence and buttons. They also make earthen pots of clay brought from the long island, and use them for boiling milk.
account of St. Kilda is not very accurate, Martin's description is more correct; but as St. Kilda was scarcely known to exist in' his time, the propensity to am plify, and to raise trifles into importance, pervades the de scription. We doubt not, however, that, making some al lowance for these, our readers will be entertained by a pe rusal of a work now become somewhat scarce. See also Macdonald's Account of the Hebrides.