mau 



ORKNEY ISLANDS. 



18 



Th Guaviare HM near 8" N. Ut, in the o>clivitie* of the Paramo 

 <U Somraa Pa*, a portion of the great chain of the Andes, bat the 

 app*r put of Ha ooune ii not known. The lower course of the 

 Ooaviara don not rm to oppoce any obstacles to navigation, but ni 

 DO European Mtttementa bare yet been established on the bank*, it is 

 only navigated by the native tribe*. It fall, into the Orinoco near 

 4* Jf. Ut. after a oouree of more than 600 mile*. 



The Rio Mela, which joina the Orinoco near 6* N. lat, originates 

 with iU numerous branches in the Amlea east of Bogota, the capital 

 v Qranada, and is (aid to be navigable for about 100 mile* from 

 that town. The moat northern of its affluent* however, the Rio 

 Caaanarei is navigated, a* it originate* not far from onu of the most 

 frmoeotod mountain-pane* of the Andes, that of Toxillo, which lead* 

 to the valley of the Rio Sogamouo, north of Bogota. English manu- 

 factared goods, sent from Trinidad, ore carried up the Orinoco, Mela, 

 and Oaeanare, and over the mountain-para to Bogota and the adjacent 

 tract*. The ooune of the Rio Mcta exceeds SOO miles, and that uf 

 the OManare perhaps 300 mile*. 



The Rio Apurf, which joins the Orinoco between 7* and 8* N. lat, 

 enter* it by a great number of channels, and bring* to it the waters 

 of innumerable large stream*, which partly originate on the eastern 

 declivity of the Andes north of 6* N. lat, and partly descend fruin 

 the southern dope of the maritime mountains of Caracas. This river 

 receive* all the water* which descend from a mountain range more 

 than 600 mile* in length. The Apure itself rises in the Sierra de 

 Merida, and run* more than 100 mile* along its base to the south-west, 

 and afterwards from west to east, collecting in its course all the waters 

 which descend from the Andes. Before it joins the Orinoco, after a 

 eoune of about 450 miles, it enters an extremely low and level 

 country of considerable extent, which for several months of the year 

 i* changed into a temporary lake. Through this alluvial country it 

 ha* cut a number of channel*, by which it discharges its own waters 

 and those brought down by other rivers from the maritime mountains 

 of Caracas. Almost all the rivers descending from the last-mentioned 

 range unite at one place, a little above St Jayme, and form a large 

 body of water, which, about 30 miles lower down, falls into the 

 Apure, about 50 miles from its mouth. All these rivrrs are navigable 

 through nearly the whole of their course; they drain the Llanos, a 

 country rich in pasturage but without agriculture. The Apuro is 

 navigated up to iU junction with the Rio Sail Douiingo. and the latter 

 i* then navigated to a small place called Torunos, at some distance 

 south of the town of Varinas. 



Among the riven which join the Orinoco from the right, only the 

 Caroni require* to be mentioned ; it drains a long valley in the I'nrime 

 Mountains, rising east of the source of the Orinoco, and north of the 

 upper branches of the Rio Brnnco, an affluent of the Quainia, in the 

 Siena Pacaraima, and running mostly in a northern direction. The 

 current is very swift, and much interrupted by rapids ; near its mouth 

 it descends by a cataract 15 feet high. The Caroni runs more than 

 SOO mile*. 



The whole course of the Orinoco, BO far as it is known, is estimated 

 by Humboldt to be nearly 1800 miles. The tides are perceptible as 

 far as Angostura, or nearly 250 miles from it* mouth, in the month of 

 April, when the river is lowest At the confluence of the Caroui, 

 more than 150 miles from the mouth, the water at that time rises 15 

 inches. During the rainy season the Orinoco inundates the greatest 

 part of the Llanos, or plains which lie to the north of it, and likewise 

 a portion of the plains which extend west of iti middle course to the 

 base of the Andes. Immediately after the vernal equinox the rising 

 of the water is perceptible : at first it rises slowly, and sometimes the 

 river sinks again in April It attains its highest level in July, and 

 remains stationary from the end of July until the 26th of August, 

 when it begins to decrease progressively, but more slowly than it 

 increased. It i* lowest in January and February. At Angostura the 

 mean rise doe* not exceed 24 or 25 feet, but in the upper part of its 

 eoune it rises several feet higher. 



(Humboldf* Pmonal ffarratife, <tc. ; Depon'a Voyage A la Partle 

 Orientate de la Tare Feme danifA intrigue Mcridionale ; Schomburgk, 

 London GtoyrapkicaJ Journal, voL x.) 



ORISSA. IHlUDCSTAS; CCTTACK.] 



OKKXKY ISLANDS, Scotland, a group of islands lying to the 

 north of the north-eastern extremity of Scotland, betweeu 68 4 4' and 

 69" 44' N. lat., 2 23' and 8 24' W. long. They ore separated from the 

 mainland by the Pentland Frith, which is about 7 miles wide at its 

 entrance betweeu Duncansby Head and the island of South 

 aha. The flux and reflux of the water during the run of the 

 i through thi* strait i* broken by the Pentland Skerries, which lie 

 bout 4 milu N.E. from Duncansby Head, and 8 mile* a from South 

 BonMh*; and farther westward by the islands of Swona and Stroma. 

 [CAITHI**.IIIIII] Strong current* are thus produced in various 

 paru of the frith at the same time, a circumstance wbicu cause* so 

 much sea in gale* of wind a* to render the strait dangerous t 

 laden fowl*. There i* a lighthouse on the Pentlaud Skerry. 



The Orkney* consist of 67 Island* and islets, 27 of which are inha- 

 bited; the remainder, called holms,' are pasture-grounds. The largest 

 of UMM islands, called Pomona, or Mainland, extends from south-east 

 to north- writ about 18 miles, and divides the group into two portions. 

 The ialands betweeu Pomona and the mainland of Urcat Britain are 



called the South Isles, and those north of Pomona the North Isles. 

 Eight of the South Islands and three of the Skerries, and IS of the 

 North Ides, are permanently inhabited. They contained in 1851 a 

 population of 31,455, namely : 



Sou/A /*/. Swona and Pentland Skerry, 57 inhabitants ; South 

 RouaMsha, 2465; Bum, 559; Flotta and Faro, 441; Hoy, 1565; 

 Qremsay, 236; Pomona, or Mainland, 16,757; Hunda, 5. 



-VortA Iilc*. Shnpinsha, 899 inhabitants ; Weir, 62; Eagleshay, or 

 Egilsa, 192; Rousa, 937; Enhallow, 24; Eday and Fora, 1016; 

 Stronsa, Papa Stronsa, and Lingholm, 1211; Sanda, 2004; Nortu 

 Ronaldsha, 526; Papa Westra, 371 ; Westra, 2088. 



Coait-line, Surface, <tc. Some of the islands have rocky shores pre- 

 senting abrupt precipices towards the west In Hoy these precipices 

 rise to the height of 1000 feet Other islands rise from the shore in 

 low rounded bill* covered with heath, and with a considerable depth 

 of peat-mould. Others are low and flat, with sandy shores. There 

 are few tree* on any of the islands. In the neighbourhood of the 

 town of Kirkwall, and on Pomona generally, there has of late years 

 been considerable planting. According to a rough estimate, the sur- 

 face of the islands ia 150,000 acres, of which less than one-third is 

 cultivated and used as pasture ; the remainder is waste or covered 

 with water. The island of Sanda, which is flat and low, is the most 

 fertile. Wart Hill, on the island of Hoy, has an elevation of 1556 feet, 

 and is considered the highest land in the islands ; Wideford Hill, on 

 Pomona, also rises to a considerable elevation. The coasts of Pomona 

 and the South Isles are very irregular in their outline, and contain 

 several secure and spacious harbours. The harbours are not however 

 much used except by fishing-boats. The principal stations for the 

 herring-fishery are St. Margaret's Hope in South Koualdsha, and Papa 

 Sound in Stronsa. On the island of Hoy there is an excellent and 

 spacious harbour called Long Hope. Stromncss and Long Hope are 

 most frequented by shipping. Small lochs ore numerous in the islands. 

 The Loch of Stenuis iu Pomona is by for the most important, being 

 about 14 miles in circumference. The roads are good. 



Climate, Soil, and Agriculture. As the Orkneys lie open to the 

 Atlantic, and are exposed to the west-south-western gules, which aro 

 the prevalent winds, the climate is rather wet than cold. Frost rarely 

 lasts many days, and the harbours are open all the year round. The 

 winter is disagreeable on account of the frequent rains and storms. 

 The spring season also is usually wet and stormy. The summer is 

 generally pleasant, the heat moderate, and the weather steady. The 

 early part of the autumn ia likewise agreeable, but in November the 

 bad weather commences. 



The soil of some of the islands is of inferior quality, but that of 

 others is excellent. Agriculture is limited to the raising of oats and 

 that kind of barley which in Scotland is called here or big, and to the 

 cultivation of potatoes, turnips, and a few other vegetables. Barley 

 and bere are exported. Of late years improvements have taken place, 

 the opening of a regular steam communication with Aberdeen and 

 Edinburgh having given a stimulus to the rearing of cattle, for which 

 the islands are peculiarly adapted. Cattle are numerous, but small : 

 on several of the larger (arms the Angus and short-horued breeds have 

 been introduced with success. 



Geology, dec. The geological character of the islands is very simple ; 

 the whole group, with the exception of a small granitic district near 

 Stromness, consisting of rocks belonging to the old red-sandstone 

 formation. The prevailing rock is a species of sandstone flag, much 

 charged with argillaceous matter. It occurs in distinct strata, usually 

 slightly inclined, forming hills of small elevation inland, which how- 

 ever often present magnificent cliffs round the coasts. The colour 

 varies from pale greenish to blockish gray. Occasionally it contains 

 bitumen, and it is the repository of remarkable fossil fishes. Conn 

 with the sandstone flag are beds of common sandstone of a yellowish 

 or tile-red colour. These form the chief part of the mountains of Hoy, 

 the highest point iu Orkney, and also several headlands iu Pomona 

 and Eday. Dykes of basalt and greenstone traverse these rocks in 

 Hoy and Pomona. The granite tract appears iu the form of a chaiu of 

 moderate hills, occupying a length of six miles, and a breadth of from 

 half a mile to a mile, and ends at Strouiuess. It is everywhere in 

 immediate contact with a coarse conglomerate, consisting of nodules 

 of quartz and fragments of granite and sandstone imbedded in an 

 arenaceous base. 



Jjiritioni, Towns, <kc. The Orkney and Shetland Islands form one 

 county or stewartry, which returns one member to the Imperial 

 Parliament The Orkneys have a resident sheriff-substitute. 'I'll 

 only towns requiring notice are Kirkwall and Stromuess. Kirkicalt, 

 the chief town of the islands, and a royal and parliamentary burgh, in 

 situated on a bay on the north coast of Pomona, in 5U 0' N. hit, 2" 57' 

 W. long. It is governed by 2 bailies aud 10 councillors, of whom one 

 is provost The population of the parliamentary burgh iu 18.'> ' 

 3451. It unites with Cromarty, Diugwall, Doruoch, Tain, and Wick, 

 in the return of one member to Parliament The town consists chiefly 

 of a long narrow street ; it contains several good houses and shops, 

 aud ia lighted with gas. Kirkwall is the chief place of trade in tho 

 island. On December 31st, 1553, there were registered as belonging 

 to the port 22 vessels under iiO tons, aggregate burden 560 tons ; and 

 21 above 60 tons, aggregate tonnage 1925. During 1853 there entered 

 the port 187 Bailing-vessels of 9813 tons, and 51 steam-vessels of 15,942 



