20,000 of this kind are deftroyed every year, including the young ones. We fhall fuppofe, at the fame time, that the folan geefe fojourn in thefe feas for about feven months of the year; that each of them destroys five herrings in a day; a fubfiftence infinitely poor for fo greedy a creature, unless it were more than half fupported at the expence of other fishes. Here we have 100,000,000 of the finest fish in the world devoured annually by a single fpecies of the St. Kilda fea-fowls.

If in the next place it be confidered, that much the greatest part of the other tribes have much the fame appetite for herring, and pursue it from place to place, in the feveral migrations it makes from one fea to another, the confumption must be prodigiously great. Taking thefe into the account, and allowing them the fame quantity of food, and of the fame kind, by reason of their vast fuperiority in point of numbers, though their ftomachs are confiderably weaker; we fee there are no lefs than 200,000,000 of herrings fwallowed up every year by the birds of a very small diftrict of rocks, which occupy fo inconfiderable a space in the Ducaledonian ocean.

Should all the articles of this account be fuftained, arficles which feem no lefs juft than plain, and fhould our curiofity lead us into a new calculation, allowing between fix and feven hundred to every barrel, it is evident that more than 330,000 barrels are annually carried away by fuch creatures.

Defcription of the Islands of RONA and BARA, by Mr. MARTIN.

The Ifland Rona is reckoned about 20 leagues from the north-east point of Nefs in Lewis, and counted but a mile in length, and about half a mile in breadth; it hath a hill in the weft part, and is only visible from the Lewis in a fair fummer's-day. I had an account of this little Ifland, and the custom of it from feve

ral

ral natives of Lewis, who had been upon the place; but more particularly from Mr. Daniel Morifon, Minister of Barvas, after his return from Rona Island, which then belonged to him, as part of his Gleib. Upon my landing (fays he) the natives received me very affectionately; and addressed me with their ufual falutation to a ftranger, "God "fave you, Pilgrim, you are heartily welcome here! for we "have had repeated apparitions of your perfon among us (af"ter the manner of the second fight), and we heartily con"gratulate your arrival in this our remote country." One of the natives would needs exprefs his high efteem for my perfon, by making a turn round about me fun-ways, and at the fame time bleffing me, and wishing me all happiness; but I bid him let alone that piece of homage, telling him I was fenfible of his good meaning towards me: but this poor man was not a little disappointed, as were also his neighbours; for they doubted not but this ancient ceremony would have been very acceptable to me; and one of them told me, that this was a thing due to my character from them, as to their chief and patron, and could not, nor would not fail to perform it. They conducted me to the little village, where they dwell, and in the way thither there were three inclofures; and as I entered each of these, the inhabitants feverally faluted me, taking me by the hand, and faying, "Traveller, you are welcome here." They went along with me to the house that they had affigned for my lodging; where there was a bundle of straw laid on the floor, for a feat to me to fit upon; after a little time was fpent in general difcourfe, the inhabitants retired to their refpective dwelling houses; and in this interval, they killed each man a fheep, being in all five, anfwerable to the number of their families. The fkins of the fheep were entire, and flead off fo, from the neck to the tail, that they were in form like a fack: Thefe fkins being flead off after this manner, were by the inhabitants inftantly filled with barley

meal

meal; and this they gave me by way of a prefent: one of their number acted as speaker for the rest, saying, "Traveller, "we are very sensible of the favour you have done us in com"ing fo far with a defign to instruct us in our way to happi"nefs, and at the fame time to venture yourself on the great

ocean: Pray, be pleased to accept of this small present, "which we humbly offer as an expreffion of our fincere love "to you." This I accepted though in a very coarse dress, but, it was given with fuch an air of hofpitality and good-will, as deferved thanks: they prefented my man alfo with fome pecks of meal, as being likewife a traveller; the boatscrew having been in Rona before, were not reckoned ftrangers, and therefore there was no present given them, but their daily maintenance.

care to keep it There is an altar wood, about ten and in every hole

There is a Chapel here dedicated to St. Ronan, fenced with a stone wall round it; and they take neat and clean, and fweep it every day. in it on which there lies a big plank of foot in length, every foot has a hole in it, a ftone, to which the natives afcribe several virtues; one of them is fingular, as they fay, for promoting speedy delivery to a woman in travel.

They repeat the Lord's Prayer, creed and ten commandments in the chapel every Sunday morning. They have cows, sheep, barley and oats, and live a harmless life, being perfectly ignorant of most of thofe vices that abound in the world: They know nothing of money or gold, having no occafion for either: They neither fell nor buy, but only barter for fuch little things as they want; they covet no wealth, being fully content and fatisfied with food and raiment; though at the fame time they are very precife in the manner of property among themselves; for none of them will by any means allow his neighbour to fish within his property; and every one must exactly ob

ferve

ferve not to make any incroachment on his neighbour. They have an agreeable and hofpitable temper for all strangers; they concern not themselves about the rest of mankind, except the inhabitants in the north part of Lewis. They take their firname from the colour of the fky, rainbow, and clouds. There are only five families in this fmall Island, and every tenant hath his dwelling-house, a barn, a house where their best effects are preserved, a house for their cattle, and a porch on each fide of the door to keep off the rain or fnow. Their houses are built with ftone, and thatched with straw, which is kept down with ropes of the fame, pois'd with ftones. They wear the fame habit with those in Lewis, and speak only Irish. When any of them comes to the Lewis, which is feldom, they are astonished to fee fo many people. They much admire grey-hounds, and love to have them in their company. They are mightily pleased at the fight of horses, and one of them obferving a horse to neigh, asked if that horfe laughed at him. A boy from Rona perceiving a colt run towards him, was fo much frighted at it that he jumped into a bush of nettles, where his whole fkin became full of blifters.

Another of the natives of Rona, having had the opportunity of travelling as far as Coul, in the Shire of Ross, which is the feat of Sir Alexander Mac-kenzie, every thing he faw there was surprising to him, and when he heard the noife of those who walked in the rooms above him, he prefently fell to the ground, thinking thereby to fave his life, for he fuppofed that the house was coming down over his head. When Mr. Morifon, the Minifter, was in Rona, two of the natives courted a maid with intention to marry her, and being married to one of them afterwards, the other was not a little difappointed because there was no other match for him in this Ifland. The wind blowing fair, Mr. Morifon failed directly for Lewis, but after three hours

failing

failing was forced back to Rona, by a contrary wind, and at his landing the poor man that had loft his fweetheart was overjoyed, and expreffed himself in these words; I blefs God and Ronan that you are returned again, for I hope you will now make me happy, and give me a right to enjoy the woman every other year by turns, that so we both may have iffue by her; Mr. Morifon could not refrain from fmiling at this unexpected request, chid the poor man for his unreasonable demand, and defired him to have patience for a year longer, and he would fend him a wife from Lewis; but this did not ease the poor man, who was tormented with the thoughts of dying without iffue.

Another who wanted a wife, and having got a fhilling from a feaman that happened to land there, went and gave this fhilling to Mr. Morifon to purchafe him a wife in the Lewis, and fend her to him, for he was told that this piece of money was a thing of extraordinary value, and his defire was gratified the enfuing year.

About fourteen years ago a fwarm of rats, but none knows how, came into Rona, and in a fhort time eat up all the corn in the Illand. In a few months after some seamen landed there, who robbed the poor people of their bull. These misfortunes and the want of fupply from Lewis for the space of a year, occafioned the death of all that ancient race of people. The Steward of St. Kilda being by a ftorm driven in there, told me that he found a woman with her child on her breaft, both lying dead at the fide of a rock Some years after, the Minifter (to whom the Island belongeth) fent a new colony to this Ifland, with suitable fupplies. The following year a boat was fent to them with fome more fupplies, and orders to receive the rents; but the boat being loft as it is fuppofed, I can give no further account of this late Plantation.

The Rock Bara lieth four leagues to the east of Rona, it is a quarter of a mile in circumference, and

I

abounds