With these very explicit directions for seeking directions, I was obliged to be content; and by dint of cautiously banishing the word "Hotel " from my vocabulary, I soon succeeded in reaching my destination. The inn is considered by the people of these parts, as something very magnificent, and is really a good one. It boasts of a capital garden, in which there are actually several green trees, a sort of sight it does one good to look on. The house was formerly occupied by a whimsical old gentleman, who invented a curious contrivance to save himself and his servants trouble. It consists of a slide, reaching from the parlour to the kitchen below. At the top, there is an index marked with the words breakfast, dinner, salt, bread, &c., &c. ; and there is a corresponding index down below. The old gentleman, therefore, had only to set his slide properly, before he rang the bell; and his wants were supplied with magical and silent alacrity. Aug. 14th. There was divine service in a part of the great cathedral of St. Magnus, and we had a very eloquent sermon from the minister. This magnificent old cathedral is built with red sandstone, a material which unfortunately cannot withstand the influence of time and weather. All the fine carved work in the arches and doors, is undergoing the process of obliteration, and several parts of the solid structure are becoming loose and insecure. The effect of the first view along the grand west aisle, is indescribably grand. The vast solidity of the plain circular columns, the noble height of the overarching roof, and the majestic simplicity that reigns throughout the structure, are admirably shewn off by the struggling light which penetrates through the narrow Saxon windows, and falls in scattered pencils athwart the mystic gloom. The colouring is perfectly unique; its general tint is a vivid green, arising from the mosses and confervæ, which flourish upon the mouldering walls and pillars, varied by the dead white, or yellow patches of the lichens, and by occasional glimpses of the fresh peeling stone itself. There are many tomb-stones, with curious antique sculpturings, which have been removed from the kirk-yard, to protect them from the effects of the weather. Among others is that of Haco, a Norwegian king. The rose window at the east end is a beautiful circular light, with elegant tracery, which is unfortunately fast decaying. The extreme western end of the great aisle is not properly roofed; it was built at a period subsequent to the erection of the main body, and tradition assigns a curious reason for the addition. On the west side of the cathedral, in "the Broad Street," are the poor remains of Kirkwall Castle; and eastward lie the ruins of the earl's and bishop's palaces, which at one time were connected together, and occupied as one grand residence. Now it is reported, that one of the earls and the contemporary commander of Kirkwall Castle, bore such ill will towards each other, that after any of their usual explosions of wrath, they were in the habit of firing upon each other's castles. The good Bishop of Orkney, to put a stop to such unchristian proceedings, is said to have interposed the mediation of the church in the most effectual of all possible manners; by prolonging the western aisle, so as to cut off each combatant from the view of his enemy's fortress. A small sum has been left by a patriotic individual, the interest of which is to be expended in the repairs of St. Magnus, but it is not by any means sufficient for the purpose. The bishop's palace presents nothing to interest the enquirer, except a solid round tower, |