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+78 KERGUELEN’S VOYAGE TO THE NORTH,
is a frightful current fouth of this ifland near the iflets, or rocks called Daflnipen and
Dasflets. South of the ifland Sandoe, are two {mall iflands called Skuoe and Stoeredi-
men. This la{t, which is a mile in circumference, is a round rock fo rugged as to be in-
acceflible. South of this is Lutteldimen, where as often as white fheep are put, they
turn black at the end of three months. 6. Suderoe, this ifland is about twent
miles in circumference. Here is the port of Lobroe, at the bottom of the fmall gulph of
Vaago-fiord. ‘This port is one of the fafeft and moit commodious in the ifland. ‘There
is a very violent and dangerous current at the fouth of this ifland, near to Somboe, and
round arock called the Monk, which is a league anda half from fhore; and which
mutt net be neared too clofely, for I have feen breakers, which extended more than a
quarter of aleague. ’Tis faid there is a mountain called Famogen, in the ifland
Suderoe, on which is a lake that ebbs and flows at the fame time as the fea at Lobroe. It
is high water at the Ferro iflands, at new and full moon at twelve o’clock. Thefe iflands
are fubject to fogs, which caufe colds, fcurvy, and other maladies, refulting from damp.
They are nothing but rocks covered with a little earth, fertile enough, however to ren-
der twenty forone. ‘Their only crop is barley.. Flocks of fheep form the riches of the
inhabitants, who are reckoned at twenty thoufand fouls. The whole trade of thefe
iflands confifts in tallow, fkins, falted mutton, feathers, ederdown, ttockings, and wool-
len caps, and fhirts. ‘Thefe iflands are pretty well fet down on the Neptune, as well as
on the chart of M. Bellin. ‘The rock called the Monk, which is fouth of thefe iflands,
and which froma diftance appears like a building, is in longitude 9° 5’ weft of Paris.
Upon taking obfervations on a line running E. and W. through the rock, I found it to
lay in61° 17’. I compute the variation to the fouth of the iflands of Ferro, to have
been 19°.
The Orcades are a heap of iflands lying north of Scotland, from which they are
feparated only by the ftrait of Pentland, which is two leagues and ahalf broad, and four
leagues long; there are fixty-feven of them, of which twenty-eight are inhabited.
Thefe iflands were very little known to the ancients, for hiftories do not agree upon their
number. Pliny and Pompenius Mela, do not reckon more than forty. ‘They doubt-
lefs confidered fome of thefe iflands called Holms, by the inhabitants, and which are very
fmall as rocks, which however yield excellent pafture. ‘Thefe iflands were formerly
governed by feparate kings, but the Scotch dethroned them, and became mafters; the
Danes, or rather the Norwegians, afterwards feized upon them, but in 1472, the Scotch
re-took them. They are now a province of England; they belong to Lord Merton :
their contribution to the ftate is no more annually than five hundred pounds fterling.
The climate is healthy, but cold and damp. ‘Their crops are chiefly barley, which
thrives abundantly. The inhabitants have plenty-of cattle, and are much given to fifh-
ing ; fo that fifh and falt beef form the principal trade of the iflands. _Neverthelefs they
furnith tallow, leather, falt, rabbit-fkins, barley, and woollen ftuffs. The coafts of thefe
sflands poffefs excellent bays and creeks, but they muft be known to be entered with-
out danger, for the tides are ftrong, and the currents violent. The majfter of a Dun-
kirker related to mea ftriking anecdote of the currents of the Orcades ; he told me that
being becalmed in a privateer belonging to Dunkirk, nearly two leagues from fhore on
the northern fide, the privateer was drawn by the current into the midit of the iflands ;
upon this he caft anchor, but his cable was cut in an inftant, and the veffel was on the
brink of being loft; when fome fifhermen came on board, who by the help of a light
breeze, conduéted her out to the weft of the iflands, after having pafled through much
danger, and by dreadful eddies. The mariner from whom I gathered this, confeffed to
me that they were mortally afraid that their pilots, with whofe nation they were at war,
were
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