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Kay's Originals Vol. 2

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334 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. in the island sick or ailing ; and the oldest of them, a man of seventy-two, waa pretty healthy and vigorous. A number of tljeir children, however, perhaps two out of three, die in infancy. This ia ascribed to a peculiar disease, with which they are seized a few days after their birth ; but it may be aa much owing to bad management as to anything else. Hence also many of the mothers die in childbed, from want of proper persons to attend them. The population of the island, which is at present 108, has been rather stationary for a considerable pericd-a circumstance sufficiently accounted for by the mortality of the children and mothers, ‘ I The chief emplopent of the men consists in bird-catching ; and the fulmar and solan goose,l which frequent their rocks in immense numbers, are peculiarly serviceable to them, both as to the payment of their rents, which they generally do with the oil and feathers, and as to affording them provision ; for they salt the carcases, and lay them up for winter store. Their mode of killing these birds is attended with considerable danger ; but long practice has inured them to it, and they seem to be quite fearless in their enterprises. In some cases they let down each other by ropes, along a steep rock, two or three hundred feet, while others at the top are holding the ropes fast, ready to haul up their comrade, loaded with his prey, whenever he gives them a signal. In most cases, however, they get at the solan geese without being obliged to have recourse to so dangerous an experiment. They are fondest of the young ones, as being the fattest, and generally lodging on the top of the rocks; in consequence of which, especially before their wings are fidly grown, they are easily taken with the hnds, or struck down with bludgeons. So great is the execution in thia way done among them, that on one of the days I wag on the island, the people, in the course of a few hours, brought home their boats deeply laden with 1200 of them, and left 400 more on the field of action, to be sent for afterwards. When the booty was brought on shore, it was immediately divided, by lot, into twenty equal parts, according to the number of the families-a method of dividing almost every kind of property to which they have frequent recourse. ‘ I While their rents are paid chiefly in featheqa they present to the tacksman of the island all other articles of produce which it affords, and with which they can conveniently dispensesuch as beef, mutton, cheese, oil, etc. ; and for any overplus that remains, after the amount of the rent is deducted, he gives them value in other articles which they need-such aa printed cloths, handkerchiefs, hats, indigo, etc., of which he takes with him an annual assortment for their supply. Hence, a native of St. Kilda can never be rich ; neither, while he can work, need he ever be poor, or in total want. Money is of little use to them, except when the tacksman comes round ; yet they do not object to receiving a present of that kind from a friend, when it is put into their offer. ‘ I The people of St. Kilda have scarcely any tradition among them relative to their origin or history, further than that their forefathers came origimally from the Western Isles, particularly Uist and Harrki ; that they were Roman Catholics till upwards of a century ago (I suppose about the Revolution 1688), when the Protestant religion was introduced among them, and has ever since been the religion of the island ; that down from that period they had a succession of ministers or missionaries; connected with the Church of Scotland, but of whom, with the exception of the two last, the late missionary and his father, they now know nothing but the name The solan goose is not found in St. Kilda itself, but on Boreray and the neighbouring rocks. * From a calculation made by Mr. M‘Donald, it appears that “not less than 32,000 of these fowls must be sacrificed every year, to make up the quantity of feather8 payable by the people. The calculation would ron thus :-Of solan geese it takea about 160 to make a stone of feathers ; of the fulmar an equal number ; and of the Greenland parrot, and other smaller birds, about 800. The whole average of feathers paid by the people, in any one year, may be stated at 160 stones. Now, supposing 150 of these stones to be made up of the fulmar and solan geese feathers, and the remaining ten of those of the small birds, it would take 24,000 of the former, and 8000 of the latter, to complete the quantity ; making in all 32,000.” 1. Mr. Buchan, supposed to have been settled aoon after the Revolution, and to have laboured upwards of twenty yeara among them.-2. Mr. Roderick M‘Kinnon.-3. Yr. Alexander M‘Leod.-4. Mr. Donald M‘Leod.--S. Mr. Alexander M‘Leob-0. Mr. Angus M‘Leod, said to have been settled abott 1774, and to have died in 1788.-7. Mr. Lauchlan M‘Leod, late misgionary, and son of Mr. Alexander. a A list of their names, in the order, as they say, of their succession, I here take down. He left them in April 1821, having officiated about thirty-two years,”
Volume 9 Page 444
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