TOUR IN THE WESTERN ISLES. 107 



from Mayday to Michaelmas, and all the ewes' milk 

 together for the whole year. Every second lamb- 

 rani and every seventh ewe go to the same quarter ; 

 and this sanctified to his use under the name of a 

 tenth. The rest of the rent is made up in feathers, at 

 the rate of 3s. per stone, and the tacksman sells them 

 in the Long Island for 10s. He is quite absolute in 

 dispensing justice; punishes crimes by fines, and 

 makes statutes of his own account, which are impli- 

 citly obeyed. There are no murders ever known 

 here ; and the priest told us, innocently enough, that 

 the only adulteress in St Kilda is the steward's dairy- 

 maid, who comes from the Long Island. There is 

 no money current here nothing like barter and 

 the rate of assessing the rent to Macleod is the only 

 criterion of the prices of articles. According to this 

 we found that a fat sheep is valued at 3s. 6d., a cow 

 at 30s., a horse at 20s., barley at 16s. per boll, and 

 potatoes at 3s. per barrel, which may contain about 

 eight pecks. The inland parts of the island (if it can 

 be said to have any) are as fit for grazing sheep and 

 cattle as almost any other places in the Western 

 Islands ; and several other spots besides the one 

 where the town is, appear equally susceptible of 

 cultivation i. e., capable of producing no light or 

 mean crops of barley. Upon the whole, I should 

 suppose that with crops, with cattle, and with the 

 vast resources of sea-fowl, eggs, and fish, St Kilda is 

 capable of supporting a population of 1500 souls with 

 ease. The only mortals among the present inhabitants 



