38 VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN. 



These islands enjoy the advantage of parochial 

 schoolmasters, having the salaries allowed on the 

 Scottish establishment ; by which means the in- 

 habitants are all taught to read, write, and un- 

 derstand arithmetic ; and among those of any 

 rank, the Latin, Greek, and French languages are 

 not unknown, as also the rudiments of the mathe- 

 matics. 



The English language prevails in all these is- 

 lands ; but they being a long time subject to the 

 Kings of Norway, it is spoken with the accent of 

 that country, and is mixed with a great many 

 Norwegian words, especially in Foula. Neither 

 here nor in the Orkneys is the Gaelic language 

 known. 



English as well as Danish money is current here ; 

 but neither species is superabundant. 



According to the latest account, this group of is- 

 landscontains 22,379 inhabitants, among whom are 

 about twenty considerable proprietors, and a great 

 many small ones. The whole land-rent amounts 

 to about £5000 per annum, which is a small 

 sum when compared with the profits the proprie- 

 tors make by the fisheries, in which they are all 

 concerned. This business is carried on by the 

 tenants : an affair which tends much to affect the 

 state of the common people at large. The land- 



