TO ORKNEY AND SHETLAND. 65 



Gull, Eider Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Arctic 

 Tern and Grouse breed ; this is one of the most 

 useful islands in Orkney ; it supplies Sandy and 

 Westra with turf, these places being destitute of 

 this necessary article. The poorer class of people, 

 who are not able to purchase turf, are obliged to 

 burn cowdung and dried seaweed ; the cowdung 

 appeared to be mixed with straw and light soil, 

 and is made into a kind of cake, which, when dried 

 a little, is set upon its edge to dry thoroughly, and 

 is then fit for burning : you may scent the houses 

 where this kind of firing is used at a great di- 

 stance, particularly if you are to leeward of them. 

 We remained at Addy about six weeks, and then 

 proceeded to Westra, distant about ten miles. This 

 was the worst passage we ever had ; when start- 

 ing we got into a tideway called the Boar, and it 

 was with the greatest difficulty we contrived to get 

 out again ; it was, moreover, such a short and 

 broken sea as I had never seen before, and is occa- 

 sioned by the meeting of two tides, the one running 

 out from between the islands, and the other along 

 the outside. We expected nothing else than that 

 the sea would rush into the boat every moment; for 

 it was breaking on all sides of us, and we had first 

 to twist the boat's head one way and then another 

 to meet the sea, which would surely have swamped 



