guage was spoken in some of the interior or central parishes of Pomona, and still later that it was understood at least in Shetland. But, the most curious remains of the Norwegian government in the Orkneys are the UDALLERS, whose landed possessions are allodial, and which, as the territorial estates in Norway are at this day, were, for I know not if I can speak in the present time, redeemable, on paying the price for which they were mortgaged by the next of kin, as was the case among the Jews under the Mosaic Law. My stay in theOrkneys was, by my plan, so short, that I had not time to make inquiries, or receive accurate information concerning the UDALLERS, their number, circumstances, and whether the redemption of their estates was often or ever claimed. I regret this the more, that Dr. Barry, in his excellent and really admirable History of the Orkneys, which I have since seen, does not give any satisfactory account of the present state of these people; on every other point he is learned, entertaining, and instructive. He only states, that in the Orkneys allodial have been swallowed up and lost in feudal tenures, in the Orkneys, as in other countries, from the same causes, and some that were peculiar to the Orkneys. He alludes to aristocratical oppression, but does not speak out. By my information, however, there appears to be still a greater number of Udallers than he states; not a few of them were pointed out to me at the fair. They appeared to me to be a poor and dispirited class of I n. was told that they were very indolent, and that it would be better for some of them that they had no estates at all; as, trusting to these small and

insignificant properties, they were very apt to neglect productive industry. I suppose they are pretty much in the situation of the lairds of Abernethey in this respect. I here subjoin an account of the present state of Shetland, communicated to me by a minister of a parish there.

SHETLAND ISLANDS.

The islands of Shetland are situated in the Northern Ocean, between 59°. 50′. and 60o. 50′. of north latitude, the first degree of west longitude from London passing through the centre of the country. Their principal harbour, Bressay Sound, is distant about two hundred and thirty miles from Aberdeen; and between these ports there is a monthly communication by a packet, which, at an average, performs the voyage in forty hours.

The number of these islands is not exactly known, but if those of all sizes are reckoned, must be great, probably not below sixty. The names of the principal are Mainland, Bressay, Whalsey, Feilar, Yell, Unet, Veila, Papa, Burra, Trondra, Fula, and FairIsle. Besides these, which are all peopled, there are many small islands that also contain inhabitants, some being occupied by a single family. The Mainland is nearly sixty miles long from south to north; its breadth so irregular, that it cannot be ascertained: however, it is believed there is no spot in it more than three miles distant from the sea. None of the other islands are above five or six miles in length or breadth. The face of the country, in ge`neral, is rugged, and its appearance barren, to a de

gree that can hardly be conceived by the natives of a happier land. Some patches of cultivated ground appear along the margin of the sea; but every where else nothing presents itself to the astonished observer but bleak moors and morasses, interspersed with huge grey rocks, and separated by gloomy lakes, or creeks, and inlets of the ocean. Not a tree nor shrub is to be seen. Even the heath appears to be stunted, and seems to languish under the baneful influence of the northern blasts. But although at present no tree is able to raise its head in Shetland, an universal persuasion seems to prevail that the country was once covered with wood. It would, however, be difficult to account for the origin of this belief, which, in the opinion of the writer of these notes, is entirely destitute of foundation. The reasons of this opinion are as follow: The greater part of the Shetland Islands are covered with moss, at an average five feet in depth. Moss is well known to possess a most powerful antiseptic quality, and to preserve incorrupt, for a long series of ages, whatever vegetable or even animal substances it happens to contain. But though the present writer examined, with minute attention, many spots in these mosses, whence peats had been dug, he never could discern the least vestige of a tree: neither timber, bark, nor leaves; and, though he often made inquiries on this subject of intelligent natives, he never heard any person say that he had seen the remains of wood in of the Shetland mosses. any There must, however, have been discovered in them, trees, or parts of trees, if wood, at any former period, had been produced in Shetland; and, consequently, the ci

cumstance of none ever being found affords a clear indication that wood never grew in the country. Whether or not any remains of trees are to be met with in Iceland and the Orkneys, the present writer is uncertain; though, till he shall see the affirmative established by good authority, he must hesitate to give his assent.

Though no trees will grow in Shetland without the shelter of a wall, there are some to be found in gardens, several of which have been planted many years ago, and of some the writer has had an opportunity of observing the progress from their arrival in Shetland. In general, they grow with sufficient vigour till they have attained the height of the surrounding wall; then, in summer, they put forth shoots to the length of six or seven inches above it, which are invariably destroyed by the blasts of the succeeding winter; so that, in a few years, the tree acquires a bushy stunted appearance at the top, similar to a hedge, the top of which has for a long time been annually cut. Thus it is pretty evident that the cause, which prevents the growth of trees in these islands, is the frequent and violent winds which prevail there, and which, in autumn and winter, invariably blast the vegetation of the preceding summer. In Shetland, if we except the months of June and July, there is scarcely a week that passes without a severe gale; and its climate, without exaggeration, may be described as an intermitting storm. In fact, no tree could withstand it, without the benefit of complete shelter; but, as there is no reason to imagine that the climate of Shetland was ever more favourable in this respect, so it is impossible to believe that ever trees grew in the coun

try; and till a total change of climate takes place, none ever can grow. Some writers have ascribed the want of trees in these northern islands to the influence of the sea air, but that this has any qualities inimical to their growth does not seem to be the case. In Norway, under the same latitude as Shetland, trees grow to a large size on the very brink of the ocean; and in Shetland, when planted in an enclosure, they grow as rapidly and vigorously as in Scotland, till they have reached the height of the surrounding wall, above which they are unable to raise their heads. If the sea air was what checked their growth, would not the marine effluvia operate before they had reached the top of the wall, as well as afterwards, since the air both below and above that level must be equally impregnated with these effluvia?

Excepting these violent gales of wind alluded to, the climate of Shetland is not much different from that of the north of Scotland. In winter, snow lies but for a short time, and frost is never inteuse. But as there is no severe cold in winter, so there is little genial warmth in the summer; the sun, during the months of June, July, and August, being often obscured by fogs. On the shortest day the sun is five hours above the horizon, and on the longest nineteen. For a month before and after the summer solstice, there is indeed no darkness; at midnight the refracted rays of the sun still illuminate the atmosphere, and a sufficiency of light is enjoyed for every purpose. The lark, too, at this season, may be heard singing during the whole night. In autumn and winter the aurora borealis is more frequent