LEWIS. 



717 



l**u- tity of grain raised is sufficient for the consumption of 



~~~~''^* the islands, in spite of distillation and mismanagement. 



Agriculture. Where the plough is not used, lazy beds are formed, 

 and the surface being thickly laid over with sea- weed, 

 generally carried to the place on the farmer's back, it 

 it closely covered with sod, cut with a particular species 

 of spade : the bed is then left until late in the spring, 

 when the clods are pulverized with a heavy kind of 

 hoe, nd the ground sown with barley, or planted with 

 potatoes, the whole being afterwards harrowed with a 

 hand-rake, having six timber teeth, and a handle two 

 feet long. The women and children assist in these 

 operations. When the barley is ripe, it is generally 

 plucked up by the roots, and tied into sheaves ; and 

 the stubble is so valuable as thatch, that it is afterwards 

 cut off with a sickle, and the barley built up in stacks. 

 On every farm there is a kiln for drying the corn ; the 

 principal tenants have also each a mill of a simple con- 

 truction ; but in general the meal is made by means of 

 the quaint, an instrument in use formerly all over Scot- 

 land. This is formed by a couple of stones, the lower 

 one hollow, and the upper made to fit easily into the 

 cavity, so as to be turned by a staff or handle fixed in it. 

 The home grown meal is generally consumed before the 

 oath of June; and those who cannot afford to buy im- 

 ported meal, subsist on the milk of their sheep or cows, 

 or upon fish, or on the root of the polentil/a anserine, 

 until the potatoe crop is ready for use. Mr. Macdonald 

 considers these islands as the most backward in agricul- 

 ture, and in the general state of the inhabitants, of all 

 the Western Isle*. 



fntaa. Cattle and kelp are the chief saleable articles of pro- 

 duce. The kelp manufacture lias been lately prosecu- 

 ted with ardour. About 140 tons of a superior quality 

 are annually made from Loch Roag, and about 50 tons 

 in the parish of Lochs. The cows are much poorer and 

 smaller than those of the island of Skye ; but they 

 make very delicate beef, when exported and fed on 

 good pasture. The parish of Lochs contained in 1 795, 

 488 cattle, 4000 sheep, and 348 horses. The parish 

 of Storooway contained 2440 cattle, 2576 sheep, and 

 556 hones ; and the parish of Uig contained 3562 

 cattle, 5044 sheep, 682 horses, and 3O4 goats. Harris 

 and its islands contain about 900 milk cows ; and about 

 900 head of cattle are generally sold annually to drovers. 

 The whole stock of cattle in Harris and its islets may be 

 about 2500. The sheep in Harris are of a diminutive size, 

 of* thin lank shape, with straight horns, the face and 

 leg* whit*, tail short, and wool sometimes bluish-grey, 

 sometimes black, brown, russet, or blotched of various 

 colours: their number is about 1 100. On Harris a con- 

 siderable tract of ground has been stocked with Tweed- 

 dale or black faced sheep, by Mr. Mackinnon of Corry, 

 and other gentlemen. In some of the mountainous 

 islands, they are said to have sometimes four, and some- 

 times even six horns. The number of goats is trifling. 

 There are Dot less than 1000 horses in Harris, of very 

 small sise, but remarkably stout and hardy. Some of 

 the gentlemen have larger horses on their farms, and 

 a few s>srs have been introduced. Fowls and fish of 

 every kind are abundant. 



ft I'mii'm There are many Druidical circles in these islands, 

 and numerous Danish signal forts ; and most of the 

 proper names of the island*, &c. are of Danish origin. 

 Near the small village of Colarnuh in Uig, there is an 

 entire Druidical circle, consisting of 12 stones, each 

 about 7 feet high, and 6 feet distant In the centre is 

 an obelisk of a larger size, 13 feet above the ground. 

 Three obelisks stand directly south from the circles, 



running out in a line, another due west, and another Lewis, 

 east ; towards the north there are two straight ranges v """" Y~^^ 

 of obelisks, reaching by way of avenue to an opening 

 between two of the stones of the circle. Each of these 

 ranges consist of 6 stones regularly placed. At Melish 

 in Uig are the remains of a nunnery, called " the house 

 of the old black women." There is a Danish fort, or 

 Dun of Cailaway, which is probably the most entire in 

 Scotland. The form is perfectly circular, and it has a 

 double wall of dry stone 30 feet high. 



Harris is a parish in the presbytery of Uist. There Religion. 

 are seven stated places for public worship according to 

 the church of Scotland, in the parish of Harris ; two of 

 these are no less than thirty-six miles asunder: the 

 clergyman has a missionary assistant. There are two 

 churches of stone, with slated roofs. 



The climate is, as may be naturally supposed, vari- climate. 

 able and moist. The springs are very cold, the sum- 

 mers warm, the autumn attended with heavy rains, and 

 the winters are stormy and cold, but without long or 

 severe frosts, or heavy falls of snow. These islands, 

 however, are differently constructed from the continent 

 of Great Britain ; the high ridge running throughout 

 their length, being close to the east coast, and the west 

 coast being comparatively flat. 



Of the mineralogy of Harris, we believe, little is as Mineralogy, 

 yet known. There seems, however, to be neither lime- 

 stone nor freestone in the country ; and from all ac- 

 counts, granite appears to be the common rock. There 

 are some appearances of copper and iron, and there is 

 a number of chalybeate springs. 



The deer (Cervus elaphus) in the forest amount to zoology. 

 perhaps 800 head. Some of the uninhabited islands 

 abound with rabbits (Lepus cuniculus.) Of wild birds, 

 there are grouse, (Tetrao attagen,) ptarmigan, (Tetratt 

 lagopii*,) woodcocks, (Scolopax rusticiila,) snipe, (Sco- 

 lopax go/linage,) and plovers, (/rtngte,) of various kinds ; 

 also eagles and hawks, (falco, &c.) crows, Corvtis coro- 

 ne, &c.) teals, (Anas crecca,) curlews, (Scolopax arqua- 

 la,) bernicles, (Anas bernicla,) wild geese, (Anas anser,) 

 gannets, (Peticanus bassanus,) cormorants, (Pelicanus 

 carlo,) and scarts, (Pelicanus gracchus,) with innume- 

 rable other sea-fowls. The numerous fresh water lakes 

 and streams abound with excellent black trouts, ( Salmo 

 fario,) and a few salmon, (Salmo salax,) frequent the 

 mouths of the rivulets in the spawning season. The 

 basking shark, or sail fish, (Sqitalus maximut, ) is fre- 

 quently killed in May and June ; they are from 25 to 

 40 feet in length, and the liver of a large one produces 

 eight barrels of oil. Seals (Phoca barbata et vitulina) 

 are very numerous at all seasons. The sea-fish most 

 plentiful are the herring, (Clupea harengns,) dogfish, 

 (Squalui camellia,) cod, (Gadus morhua,) ling, (Gadus 

 mono,) skate, (Raia batis,) mackarel, (Scomber scom- 

 ber,) cuddy, (?) and sandeel, (Ammodyles fobianus.) 

 There are also abundance of shell- fish, and the dredg- 

 ing for oysters, (pslrece,) and the taking of lobsters, 

 (Cancer gammarus) might be a valuable increase of re- 

 venue to the inhabitants ; but they are ignorant of the 

 secret of catching them, and this natural advantage is 

 carried off from them -by expert fishermen, who come 

 to load their little vessels for the London market. 



Lewis and Harris were certainly once covered over 

 with trees, if we may judge from the remains found in 

 mosses ; but there is now no such thing in the whole 

 district ; and even the bushes and shrubs, which gen- 

 tlemen have attempted to plant in their gardens, die, 

 as soon as they rise higher than the wall. The list of 

 cryptogamous plants, particularly of Fuci and 



