ORKNEY ISLANDS, or ORCADES, are a group of small islands in the ocean which washes the northern extre mity of Scotland, included between the parallels 58° 44', and 59° 25' N. Lat. and within the meridians 0° 19' E. and 0° 17' V.r. Long. from Greenwich. They are irre gularly scattered over a space of about forty-one geogra phic miles in length, by twenty-five in breadth. Their number, including the uninhabited islets, or, as they are in the dialect of the country, ho/n28, amounts to six ty-seven. Of these, twenty-nine are inhabited, and the rest are wholly dedicated to pasturage, and the manufacture of kelp. The following are the modern and ancient names of the inhabited islands. The orthography of the former is according to the native mode of pronouncing them, that of the latter is derived from old authors.
The general aspect of the Orkney Islands is not very diversified. With the exception of Hoy and Rousey, none of them deserve the name mountainous. The western di vision of Pomona, Edey, and a part of \Vestry, and South Ronaldshey, are the only parts of the group which can be considered as hilly. The general surface of the rest is low and undulating; in some instances green or cultivated to a considerable extent, especially along the shores ; but in general they present a monotonous surface of heath or coarse pastures, here and there interspersed with spots of cultivated land, destitute of trees, or even of tall shrubs, except in the gardens of a few gentlemen in the neighbour hood of Kirkwall. The coasts arc often indented by spa cious and secure havens, where the largest ships may an chor; sometimes they slope gradually to the water ; but often they are girt with stupendous cliffs, especially where exposed to the fury of the Western Ocean. The mixture of fantastic precipices, with basins of transparent water, produce a highly picturesque effect, though in this respect the Orkneys are far inferior to the sister Zetland Isles.
We shall shortly notice the inhabited islands, and brief ly describe the mostrernarkable objects in each, commenc ing with the largest of the group.
Pomona, or Mainland.—Its extreme length is about 19 geographic miles, and its greatest breadth, from Costa head to Howton-head, 14; but its coasts are so deepy cut by extensive bays, that its area does not probably exceed 150 square miles. It is divided into 14 parishes; most of which are grouped in pairs, that have only one clergyman between them, who preaches in each on alternate Sun days; but there are two clergymen in the united parishes of Kirkwall and St. Olave ; and service is performed twice on every Sabbath in the well preserved ancient Cathedral of St. Magnus, which towers over the royal burgh of Kirk
wall, the capital of these islands. KIRKWALL is in latitude 58° 33' N., Long. 0.25 1V : on a wide bay which affords good anchorage for shipping. The western side of the town is washed by a small arm of the sea, which at one time formed a lake ; but by an injudicious attempt to drain it, the tide now has free access. Kirkwall consists chiefly of one narrow street, about a mile in length, winding and ill paved, having something of a foreign aspect from the gables of the houses being chiefly turned to the street. The burgh, by the census of 1821, contains a population of 938 males, and 1274 females; or a total of 2212 per sons. A spirit of improvement has manifested itself of late years in this remote corner, and is visible in the su perior comfort of the habitations of the people, in the lighting of the streets, in the Institution of a subscription library, and in the construction of a very commodious har bour. Two substantial piers have been built at an ex pence of L.4963, 12s. Sterling, of which L.1800 was paid by government, and the remainder from the funds of the burgh, and the voluntary subscriptions of the inhabitants.
The architectural antiquities of Kirkwall probably sur pass those of any small town in while its medial vast Cathedral, dedicated to St. Naga-Lind tolerably Earl of Orkney, is an entire and fine specirnewnt of style of Gothic, which has been denominated Saxon o, Heavy Norman by our archaiologists. The length of this building, which is in the form of the Latin cross, is 232 feet; its breadth 56 feet 9 inches. The arms of the tran sept are each 22 feet in length, and 30 feet 8 inches in breadth. It has three aisles, divided by very massy round piers without any mouldings, except a simple fillet above, and a sort of flat torus below, which give them the general appearance of heavy Tuscan columns. The piers are surmounted by two rows of plain semicircular arches; but in the transept are smaller arches, with mouldings and mullions, such as are seen in many ancient cathedrals in England. The piers amount to 28 ; but some of those in closing the space for the high altar are different from those of the nave. The four central piers which support the steeple, and belong to the most ancient patt of the buildings, are beautifully ornamented with deep and well cut mouldings running from the base into lofty pointed arches of great boldness ; which are distinguished by the zig-zag and tooth-like ornaments that characterize the Gothic architecture of the twelfth century.