History Of The Orkney Islands PDF Download

Excerpt from History of the Orkney Islands In submitting this second Edition of Dr. Barry's History of the Orkney Islands to the public inspection, the Editor is aware, that, if he could offer an account of a Terra australis incognita, curiosity would be excited, and the book would be perused with avidity. He is aware that a cluster of Islands, which, with a fair wind, are only three or four days' fail from the capital of the Empire, cannot excite that interest from their novelty, which we would take in the description of places inhabited by savages; where volcanos vomited forth subterranean fires; where the traveller, at every step, encountered strange minerals, plants, and animals; and which could not be reached without the circumnavigation of the globe. In such cases, the difficulties surmounted, and the dangers incurred while obtaining information, render the adventures of the historian more interesting, than either the utility or importance of the information he conveys. Although our author has kept out of view his own adventures, while employed in collecting the information he exhibits, we are not to suppose, that such a work could be drawn up in the closet, amidst the calm of learned retirement. Our Author must often have crossed the rapid sounds which intersect these Islands, where the tides run like torrents descending from the sides of mountains; and, when they encounter a strong wind, raise commotions which would appeal any person but the native islanders. Often must he have grappled with the mountain billows of the Atlantic, and of the Northern Ocean, and, when he reached land, submitted to accommodations or rather privations, which would scare the inhabitants of districts more populous and better cultivated. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.