c4 «« antiquities in Scotland. Alaf'cb 14 « 



esq; near Lerwick. After mentioning them in gene- 

 ral, he thns proceeds : 



" I fhall give you," says he, " an account of the 

 principal one, which I conjectured to have been the 

 residence or strong hold of their prince for the time. 

 It is situated on" a small island, about half a mile 

 long, lying off the S. E. end of this country. This 

 castle stands about twenty yards from the sea, and 

 seems to be of a different kind from any others in 

 the country, there being no ditches round it ; but 

 J can trace a slight stone dike that has encompafsed 

 it. This castle is by far the most entire of any in 

 this country, it being still forty-five feet high. It 

 is built round a circular court, t\venty feet diameter. 

 You enter through the wall, from the side next the 

 sea, by a low door intb the court ; on the opposite 

 side of which, is a door raised three feet from the 

 ground, which leads to the stair. The stair is placed 

 in the heart of the wall, and leads up by high nar- 

 row steps to the top of the building. The thicknefs 

 of the wall is sixteen feet. The whole height is di- 

 vided into stories about five feet high. Each of these 

 stories or galleries go round the building, in the heart 

 of the wall, except where the stair interrupts. In 

 the inside of the building there are three ranges of 

 square holes, each range going from bottom to top, 

 which divide the whole structure into three unequal 

 segmei.ts. These holes are separated from each o- 

 ther by one or two stones' thicknefs ; and are from 

 eight inches to a foot square. I imagine they hav« 

 been intended for throwing mifsile weapons from, in 

 case of the enemy getting pofsefsion of the court. 



