SCENERY OF THE GROUP. 178 



historic a^e this now treeless, deerless country had not 

 only deer but forests to she *er them. 



The mosses containing these remains trees, deer's 

 horns, and hazel nuts extend under the present sea 

 level ; and at very low tides they are sometimes exposed, 

 as in Otterwick Bay, Sanday, and JDeerness. 



Pomona, or Mainland, is by far the largest of the Orkney 

 group ; its length from east to west is upwards of thirty 

 miles, and its breadth in some places from six to eight 

 miles. The two largest towns of Orkney are in Pomona 

 Stromness, in the south-west, with a population of 

 about 3,000, and a very fine harbour ; and Kirkwall, the 

 capital of Orkney, which lies on the north side, and con- 

 tains above 4,000 inhabitants, many good shops, three 

 banks, two newspapers, churches and schools in propor- 

 tion to the population. 



The principal street is about a mile in length, and is 

 made up of houses that would not seem out of place in 

 any county town. It is not surprising that the metropolis 

 of Orkney should now contain all the necessaries, and 

 most of the luxuries, which modern refinement demands ; 

 but it is strange to find that seven hundred years ago, on 

 this extreme verge of civilisation, and so near the polar 

 regions, there arose a cathedral, more perfect, very 

 little smaller, and in some respects finer, than that of 

 Glasgow. 



Near the cathedral are the ruins of the bishop's palace. 

 Within an easy walk from Kirkwall is Wideford Hill 

 from the top of which nearly all the islands may be seen ; 



