750 
ORKNEY ISLANDS. 
cularly in ftrong and impetuous currents. The lize of 
thefe animals is from fifteen to twenty-five feet in length, 
and they are very thick in proportion. Its appetite is fo 
voracious, and its nature fo fierce, that it will attack 
the larged fifhes. The fpermaceti whale, the bottle-nofe, 
and the round-lipped, whale, are frequently thrown 011- 
fliore in thefe ifiands. Herds of porpoifes, to the amount 
of a hundred and upwards, are often feen together. 
In the ill vol. of the Memoirs of the Wernerian Society, 
we have “ Remarks on fome Parts of a non-defcript Ani¬ 
mal that was call: alhore on the (Orkney) Ifiand of 
Stronfa, in Sept. 1808, by Dr. Barclay; accompanied by 
feveral Affidavits relating to the Animal.” The imper¬ 
fect remains of this wonderful non-defcript, and the at- 
teftations which are annexed to Dr. Barclay’s ftatement 
of the Angular ItruCture of the vertebrae, permit us not to 
doubt the exiftence of fome fuch monfter of the deep, 
“ meafuring fifty-five feet in length, of the thicknefs of a 
middle-fized horfe round the girth, with a mane of 
bridles, extending from the ffioulders to the tail; with 
fix fwimming-paws, placed like wings or feet, two fpout- 
lioles on each fide of the neck; and, with the exception 
of the paws and mane, more refembling a huge fnake 
than a fiffi.” Dr. Barclay very fuccefsfully combats the 
opinion, which had been hazarded by Mr. Everard Home, 
concerning the anology between the Stronfa animal and 
the Squalus maximus, or balking fhark. If the rude out¬ 
line of the former which accompanies this interefting 
paper, conveys even a faint imitation of its prototype, 
thefe two gigantic inhabitants of the ocean mult belong 
to families widely diffimilar in refpeCt both of conforma¬ 
tion and habits. 
The following communication alfo, fubjoined to the 
affidavits, when taken in combination with all the cir- 
cumftances attending the appearance of the Orkney ani¬ 
mal, would tempt us to believe that Pontoppidan’s fea» 
fnake, or fome creature correfponding to it, may really 
exift. 
From the Reverend Mr. Maclean, of Small Ijles, to the Se¬ 
cretary of the Wernerian Natural Hijiory Society; dated 
Fig'g If and, i\th April, 1809. 
“According to my bell recollection, I faw it in June 
1808, on the coalt of Coll. - At firfh view, it appeared like 
a fmall rock. Knowing there was no rock in that 
fituation, I fixed my eyes on it clofe. Then I faw it ele¬ 
vated confiderably above the level of the fea, and, after a 
-flow movement, diltinClly perceived one of its eyes. 
Alarmed at the unufual appearance and magnitude of 
the animal, I (leered fo as to be at no great dillance from 
the fliore. When nearly in a line betwixt it and the 
fliore, the monfter, directing its head (which Hill conti¬ 
nued above water) towards us, plunged violently under 
water. Certain that he was in chace of us, we plied hard 
to get afnore. Juft as we leaped out on a rock, taking a 
llation as high as we conveniently could, we faw it coming 
rapidly under water towards the Hern of our boat. When 
within a few yards of the boat, finding the water fliallow, 
it raifed its monftrous head above water, and, by a wind¬ 
ing courfe, got, with apparent difficulty, clear of the 
creek where our boat lay, and where the monfter feemed 
in danger of being embayed. It continued to move off, 
with its head above water, and with the wind, for about 
half a mile before we loft light of it. Its head was rather 
broad, of a form fomewhat oval : its neck fomewhat 
fmaller. Its Ihoulders, if I can fo term them, confiderably 
broader, and thence it tapered towards the tail, which laft 
it kept pretty low in the water, fo that a view of it could 
not be taken fo diftin&ly as I wilhed. It had no fin that 
rcould perceive, and feemed to me to move progreffively 
by undulation up and down. Its length I believed to be 
from 70 to 80 feet. Its progreffive motion under water 
I took to be rapid, from the Ihortnefs of time it took to 
come up to the boat. When the head was above water, 
its motion was not near fo quick $ and, when the head was 
mod elevated, it appeared evidently to take a view of dif- 
tant objects. D. Maclean.” 
. ° n ffi°res here are found a great number and va¬ 
riety ot curious marine (hells, driven hither by the cur 
rents of the ocean. But the greatell curiofity thrown by 
the fea on thefe illands are the phafeoli, commonly known 
by the name of the Molucca or Orkney beans. They a-e 
of feveral fpecies, none of which are the produce of a 
northern climate, but are probably of American or Weft 
Indian origin; many of them being natives of Jamaica 
They are found chiefly on the wefterri coafts, and are on 
thefe fo plentiful; that they might be gathered in large 
quantities, it of any value; but the only u fe they are 
adopted for is the making of fnuff-boxes. 3 
Exotic birds, the inhabitants of diftant and warm cli 
mates, occafionally vifit thefe illands ; whither they have 
been doubtlefs forced by tempeftuous weather. A Lap¬ 
lander, from the fame caufe, is fometimes feen here in his 
llender canoe, covered with (kins* Fiffi, as large as whit 
ings, are frequently thrown affiore to a confiderable dif 
tance within the land; and, at Cantick Plead, fuch is the 
force of the meeting tides, that, in llormy weather, lume 
Hones are often heaved up from the bowels of the deen 
and call over the rocks upon the (liore. 1 ’ 
At the commencement of the laft century, a very con 
fiderable manufacture of woollens is faid to have been 
carried on in thefe illands. This branch of induftry is 
now much decrealed, and confined entirely to a home" 
confumption. The articles manufactured are chiefly 
(lockings and blankets, and a very coarfe kind of cloth 
worn by children, and by thofe relident in the country- 
for the inhabitants of the town almoft univerfally wear 
Engliffi cloth. The linen-manufaCture was introduced 
about fixty years ago; and, though at firft it met with an 
unfavourable reception, it foon triumphed over every 
oppofition, and became very widely diffufed, to the gr»at 
benefit both of the manufacturers and of the labouring 
poor; many ot whom mull have periflied for want but 
for the timely fupport it was the means of fupplying 
This improving condition of affairs continued for Ho¬ 
wards of twenty, years, when the manufacture fuffered 
a temporary decline, by a competition among the ma¬ 
nufacturers, occafioning an undue rife of wages, which 
feldom fails to be attended with a proportionate diminu¬ 
tion of induftry among an indolent people. The natural 
courfe of event's has happily, however, corrected this evil • 
and the linen-man ufaCture is now more extenlive, and 
better conducted, than at any former period. The quan 
tity of linen cloth (lamped annually exceeds 60,000 yards • 
and the amount of yarn fold in the fame fpace to the 
merchants of Newcaftle, Edinburgh, and Glafgow and 
to itinerant purchafers, is eftimated at confiderably above 
100,000 fpindies, Almoft all the flax confumed is im¬ 
ported from Ruffia and Holland. 
But the principal and moll lucrative manufacture of 
the Orkney illands, is that of help. This fubftance is chiefly 
valuable on account of the large quantity of foda it con¬ 
tains, which renders it ufeful in the compofition of foap 
in the manufacture of alum, and in the formation of 
crown and bottle glafs; indeed, in thefe manufactures, 
kelp anfwers completely all the purpofes of the very bed 
potaffi. It is formed, by burning certain fpecies of ma¬ 
rine plants, and affords employment to about three 
thoufand perfons of both fexes during the fummer 
months. Each of them makes in that period a ton, con¬ 
fiding of 24 cwt. of kelp, for which they receive, accord¬ 
ing to circumftances, from 30s. to 3I. fo that the total 
quantity made every feafon is fomewhere about 3000 
tons. The price at which it is fold to dealers in the 
fouth, varies from 81. to 10I. per ton, including the ex- 
penfe of freights, infurance, &c. which are moftly effected 
by natives. Hence the profits accruing to the illands 
from this manufaCtuie are calculated on an average at 
2j,oool. per annum. 
The 
