Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654
Name: | Blaeu, Joan, 1596-1673 |
Title: | Andreae Melvini Scotiae Topographia |
Pagination: | [10v-11r] |
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Translation of text:
and woody; it conceals a harbour in the inner gulf, which threatens passers-by with robberies. And at the mouth of the gulf of the same name is the island of Gairloch [?]. Six miles to the north from Rona is situated Eilean Flodigarry, and two miles distant from there is Tulm Island. And on the south side of Skye is Oronsay, and smaller and larger Wiay a mile from Oronsay (37), and next five small obscure islands; after them Isay, fertile in crops; and next to it Eilean nan Caorach [?]; then Ascrib and Lindill [?]. Eighty miles before Skye to the summer setting of the sun extend Lingeigh, Greanamul, Berneray, Mingulay, Pabbay, and Flodaigh, and Maol Domhnaich, Sandray, and Vatersay, opportune for fishing, and provided with a harbour for many large ships, besides its other conveniences. These nine last-named islands are under the Bishop whose right it is to pastor the peoples girt by the fast-flowing sea. But two miles from here is Barra, which, stretching seven miles in length to the summer rising from the winter setting of the sun, fishes for herring, not infertile in crops. The sea slides into it through narrow jaws: inside it rounds out more widely. It has only one island, and this island a castle especially fortified with every fortification. From the northern shore of Barra a hill rises up, grassy from foot to summit (38): from the summit a stream flows down, carrying down with it some malformed animals into the sea below; the ebbing tide of the sea leaves a sandy shore, whose name is the great sands; all over this shore adult shellfish are dug out, which are commonly called snails. They are said here to be born from that stock or to grow in the sea. Many islands, but small and scattered in the ocean (39) lie between Barra and Uist, Orasaigh, then Eilean nan Caorach [?], Eilean na Hakersait [?], Garbh Lingeigh, and Flodaigh, smaller and larger Fuidheigh, Hay [?], Hellisay, and Gighay, and Lingeigh, Fiaraidh, Fuday, and Eriskay. Uist runs lengthily from these towards the north pole, thrice ten and twice two miles long, and six miles wide. This island when the tide flows in in two places is triple, when the tide recedes and the sands are bared, it is one island. In it are very many lochs of sweet water, one among them of particular size which stretches three miles long. The sea by eating out the land has opened a path to it through the cliffs, and creeping between the huge rocks and bondings beneath, breaking the walls which the island placed in the way of the sea, as it recedes very often leaves behind sea-fish. In it a fish is caught in other respects very similar to a salmon, except that it is white in the belly and black in the back, and is not covered with scales like a salmon. It swarms with innumerable lochs, a good strength of sweet water. It has caves covered with heather, hidden refuges for robbers. In it are holy churches for sacred rites to the sacred quintuple number. Then eight miles to the rising is Heisker or Monach Island, perhaps belonging to the Nuns of Iona. Then a little further to Boreas and the north rises in mid-ocean Haskeir; at a certain time of year, lo, seals of the ocean gather at it in large numbers and are caught for some uses. About sixty miles beyond this to the summer setting of the sun retires Hirta; this is the most agreeable nurse of crops and cattle and of tall sheep. The inhabitants are unversed in all art and all religion, and infants are baptized in holy water when, the solstice being past, they pay as taxes to the procurator and lord each year without deceit wethers well dried in the Sun's fire, and hirsute seals of the sea, and sea-birds. Each man baptises his own children if the Priest should happen to be absent. The whole island extends about a mile squared, totally unseen from any of animal except sheep, and these wild, but of no use for food when they are captured in hunting. They have no flesh, so glad (42) is their food, but in place of flesh they have support for the skin and thick fat: or the flesh is so unpleasant that you would refuse to taste it unless seductive hunger persuaded, and in extreme danger of sweet life. Also in the same area nearer Thracian Boreas are Garbh Eilean, that is rough island, soon Lambay, and Flodaigh, and Cealasaigh, and the two Berneras, and Eilean Chearstaigh, and Fuaidh Beag and Mor, and also Bhacsaigh, and Pabaigh, and Siaram Mor, which the fecund animal claims in its caves, and Siaram Beg, and Luchruban, island of Pygmies: the very frequent digging up there by foreigners of small bones with small heads and small bodies makes the old story worthy of belief, that pygmies were once (43) buried in this region. On that coast of of Lewis which faces the winter rising, there burst into the land by the force of the water both gulf and loch, named on this side the North, on this the South. Every year both supply fish abundantly to those who catch them, such is the amount there. From this same coast Eilean Mor Phabail turns more to the mid-day light, and Eilean Adam [?], and Eilean nan Uan, Viccowill (44), Eilean Thuilm, Havreray [?], and Eilean Mor Lacsaidh, and Era, and the holy Eilean Chaluim Chille, and Eilean Thoraidh, and Eilean Iubhard, and Scalpay, and Fladay and Shiants. On the east side of this island [f. 11r] stands an underground road, vaulted with a curved arch and high vault of hard stone, passable below by oars and sails, more than a swift bowshot long, while sailors in great fear flee the violent tide and roar made at the nearby rock. To the east lies the island called Seann Chaisteal, which is a safe place with natural defences, productive of scaly ones and crops, and supplying food for the natives and other colonists with eggs of birds. But where Loch Broom opens the land with entering tide, is the Isle of Ewe, shaded and half-lit with thick woods, whence robbers offer violence in ambushes to passers-by. More to the icy north from here lies Gruinard, likewise hidden in the interior, and also occupied by robbers. Looking towards the same part of the heavens the small Priest Island provides animal food and sea-birds' eggs. Next is Na Fiulaichear, near it is Tanera Mor and Beg, next to it Horse Island, next to it again Isle Martin. These last eight are before the gulf of Loch Broom. From here Harris, then Lewis run towards the north (45). They stretch sixty miles in length, twice eight wide: for these make one island, being divided not by estuary of the sea poured between, but by the dry boundary of fields, and split by the whole proper jurisdiction of the lords. The part exposed to the mid-day light is Harris, where Macleod erected stalls for monks at Rodel. The fields are quite productive of crops for grain. There are pastures suited to the pasturage of sheep, with whose grass a high mountain is green to the peak of the summit. You may see wool-bearers wandering and moving about without a sure owner, and heavy with years; production of them is increased by the fact that no fox or wolf anywhere lays siege to the sheepfold, nor does any snake coil itself up over the immense area. However there are here both low stags and many woods in the border area which separates Lewis from Harris. Here too there is a river which abounds in blue salmon. In the part pointed to the cruel north is Lewis, cultivated and popula sea is two fathoms deep; when it returns with the tide, it is four deep. Sitting here on the high rocks, every class, age and sex indiscriminately draw into the air a huge amount of scaly ones by line and hook. Rona, with level ground, low and cultivated, is situated sixty miles from Lewis to the summer rising. The farmers are both rough men and entirely unaware of all religion. He who has lordship over them assigns a fixed number of both cattle and men, so that they may both live comfortably and pay their rent; that is, a large amount of barley flour sewn into sheepskins, and as much of mutton and of sea-birds which they have dried in the sun's heat, as remains from the year's production. What is beyond their subsistence, all returns to Lewis to the lord. Any which go above the number of heads, that extra crowd is also assigned to the lord of the estate by the cultivators. Thus they never lack anything, and all things are in abundance. These ancient customs, these hearts which are neither ruined by idle luxury nor susceptible to greedy worry: O too fortunate, if they knew their good state! too happy, if they knew Christ and themselves well! How unhappy! since they know neither themselves nor their state. There is in this land a burial place dedicated to Ronan (46): a spade is its perpetual companion; when anyone dies, they soon find the place of burial pointed out in the morning by it. If there is any trust in older men when they tell marvellous tales or piety in cultivators of the bow when they relate vain stories, unless a wicked god himself deludes the gapers with misery. Here too whales are food, and are caught with barbed hook. Twice eight miles hence to the west lies in the deep sea the island of Sula Sgeir, a mile long, which produces no grass in the valley, and no heather on the mountains, it only rises into black cliffs, which black moss covers, and the white wave of the sea opens up. Here sea-birds lay their various eggs everywhere, and hatch their chicks and fatten them with prey. But before they cut through the air on sprouting wings, a large crowd from the neighbouring shores sail out to prey on them, and gives up eight days to collecting them and drying them in the air and the blast of Phoebus, until they fill their small boats with the feathers and stiff flesh.
On this island a rare bird of foreign character, 'colc', in size a little smaller than a goose, and no greater in weight, builds its nest, and lays its eggs on which it sits, and hatches the unclothed chick, cherishes and rears it, then intentionally leaves it when clothed; when its feathers are loosed without clothing, it makes for the deep waves and throws itself in, and rows not with feathers or plumes on its feet but with its wings, and by nature, not art, weaves for itself light (47) winter clothing against the fierce cold of frost, stuffing itself with new delights and feasts, until in the new spring the gentle breeze of the warm west wind brings and conveys it back, clothed and well nourished, and heavily pregnant, with beating of wings and feathers, although there is no harder quill in the winged body, but a light plume, but not coloured white, clothes the body all over with a smooth down.
And this concerning the western lands which the sea surrounds, which gird the kingdom of Scotland in dense order,