ST. KILDA. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 2,5 



Traces of a Danish origin are perceptible in the 

 people of St. Kilda, a remark frequently applicable to 

 the Western isles. But the language is nevertheless, 

 as elsewhere, pure ; no objection to its purity was at 

 least made by the Argyll Highlanders who accompanied 

 me. The men are well looking, and better dressed than 

 many of their neighbours of the Long island; bearing 

 indeed the obvious marks of ease of circumstances both 

 in their apparel and diet. The children may even be 

 considered handsome ; but the women, like the gene- 

 rality of that sex in this country, are harsh in feature, 

 and impressed with the marks of age in very early 

 life. 



The population consists of twenty families, containing, 

 at the time of my visit, 103 individuals. They are so 

 much attached to their home that a native seldom leaves 

 the island. On account of the absence of the minister, 

 I was unable to discover whether or not they were at 

 present in a state of increase. If not, that must here 

 be counteracted by circumstances not easily conjectured; 

 since it is decidedly felt in all those insular situations 

 where a similar attachment exists ; being productive of 

 great misery. As the soil is good, and but a small por- 

 tion of it is as yet cultivated, there is still room, in the 

 resources which agriculture offers; independently of that 

 arising from fishing, an occupation in which they have 

 never yet engaged. The vacillation which has taken 

 place in the population of St. Kilda is remarkable, and 

 has not been explained by Macaulay, the latest writer 

 on this island. In his time, about forty years ago, it 

 was lower than it is at present, whereas in the time of 

 Martin it was nearly double. By the account which he 

 has given, they were then in a state of great poverty; 

 whereas in Macaulay's time they were at their ease; 



to the improved state of society, in which no books have been writ- 

 ten, and of which the literary value is confined to a few traditional 

 poems. For philological purposes, it is sufficient if it exists in the 

 libraries of the grammarian and antiquary. 



