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,”
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 335
that of old the population was much larger than it has been of late years ; that the decrease has
been occasioned chiefly by the ravages of the small-pox, which, many years ago, had been
brought into the island by some foreign vessel, and had swept away at once the whole population,
excepting four families ; and that, though some from the neighbouring isles, who had
come to live among them, have made an accession to their number, yet this catastrophe had
given a death-blow to the population which it has not yet fully recovered. This is at least a
rational account of the matter.
" Their tradition also regarding their origin is extremely probable ; for in language, customs,
and manners, and indeed in every other respect, they bear so complete a resemblance to their
neighbours in the Western Isles, m to leave no room to doubt that they have originally sprung
from them. Besides, the very names which are most prevalent in these isles-as M'Leod,
M'Donalcl, M'Kinnon, Morrison, etc.-hold the same predominance in St. Kilda, a circumstance
which strongly confirms the supposition. The language they speak is pure Gaelic, and the dialect
that of Uist and Harris. There is, however, R rapidity, and an indistinctness, if not a degree
of lisp in their utterance, which makes it rather difficult at first for a stranger to understand
them ; but, in the course of a short time, he gets over this difficulty. Their peculiar employments
(as has been already stated) consist in attending to their little farms, their cattle and
sheep, and preparing a certain quantity of feathers annually for the tacksman, which may be
considered the most arduous and enterprising part of their work. But I fear they cannot be
exempted from the charge of almost habitual indolence. They are seldom wholly idle ; but when
they are at any work, one would think that they are more anxious t o j l l up than to occupy the
time. How desirable on this, as well as on many other accounts, that they might become savingly
acquainted with that Gospel, which teaches its true subjects to be 'diligent in business,
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord I ' In this, as in many respects, they admit of much improvement
; and I have no doubt that, without interfering with the prerogative of a landlord or
tacksman, a prudent missionary, by his advice and example, might effect much in this way, m
well as in more important respects. If he has a sensible, judicious wife, too, who would take an
interest in the females, it would be of vast advantage to them ; and such a companion in St.
Kilda, I need scarcely say, would in every respect be an acquisition to his own comfort."
As anticipated, Mr. M'Donald found the islanders extremely destitute of
religious instruction. They had no place of worship ; and when he addressed
them in a body, they assembled in a barn-an uncomfortable shed which
belonged to all in common. But, although few of them were capable of reading,
and consequently entertained an imperfect notion of the nature of a religious
faith, he admits that in morality of conduct they were at least equal to their
neighbours of the Hebrides ; and he found that several vices prevalent in more
refined society were unknown amongst this primitive and secluded people.
In consequence of the statements furnished by Mr. M'Donald, a subscription
was entered into to erect a place of worship on St. Kilda, together with a suitable
house or manse. While this design was in contemplation, and before its
completion, Mr. M'Donald undertook other three journeys to St. Kilda,' in the
welfare of whose inhabitants he felt an interest which overcame every fatigue or
inconvenience. On one of these occasions he had the pleasure of laying the
foundation-stone of the church destined for their use, and of laying off two
acres of ground as a small glebe, attached to the house of the missionary ; and
on the last of his visits he had the peculiar satisfaction to be accompanied
by the Rev. Mr. Neil M'Kenzie and his family, who had been sent out by the
Society, and whom he introduced to the grateful islanders as their future
pastor.
1 Tbese were performed in 1825, 1827, and 1830.
