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Gilbert ?" said the respondent. "What, is not Nisbit his name ?" "It was his father's name," was the reply. It turns out that the son takes his father's Christian-name for his sir-name. The father's name was Gilbert Nisbit; the son's name is William Gilbertson; and the grandson's Thomas Williamson. It would puzzle the lord advocate to make out an indictment without a flaw in it against a Zetlander. This manner of changing names accounts for the fact of so few Norwegian names existing in the country. Mr. O. says this custom only prevails among the lower orders. Tea time arrived, and young S. piloted us over the voe, and brought Dr. B. along with him. The kind, amiable doctor undertook my cure, being troubled with a cough and headache, and gave me some medicine much stronger than what I had used, and which proved of considerable service to me. The conversation turned on the state of the parish, or rather the ministry, as it is called, which is extensive and populous for a Zetland district. It is furnished with a single parochial school, which till lately had no teacher. The school is in the most inconvenient. situation, cannot be attended, and promises, even when rendered effective, to be of little comparative use. No society school exists in this neighbourhood.

We then began to speak about the prevailing superstitions of the country. Fairies are currently believed in, and that too by a class of persons of whom better things might have been expected-whose intelligence, and morality, and religious profession, would, to a stranger, have raised them above all suspicion of such abject and degrading folly. But so it is, the force of early prejudice imbibed at the first opening of reason is

so powerful, that all the information and experience of riper years can hardly overcome and extinguish it, though it may weaken it; and this is the more likely to be the case when the means of information and communication are necessarily limited and imperfect. It is not easy to specify in what particular their superstition consists-they are generally Necessitarians, and talked of a certain person as having been "laid” for them, a thing they said that was sore to think upon. This necessity is with them an excuse for every thing, whether bad or indifferent, and, like nervous disorders, is a retreat in every case of difficulty, a plausible means of explaining whatever is unintelligible. Beads hung in strings, and coins thus preserved, are a kind of amulets. If a person wastes away in sickness, it is thought the fairies have caught him away to the hills, and that this is only his semblance decaying before their eyes. When humanity prompts them to save life, it is at the expense of a painful apprehension that the individual whom they save from a watery grave will prove their foe. A wreck is called, and believed to be, a "Godsend."

A winter in these regions is sufficiently gloomy and sad. For days it is difficult, on occasion, to leave the hut; darkness and storm reign without, smoke and seclusion prevail within. As nearly all can read, and few are without a Bible, it may be read; but the mind asks amusement and relaxation; and what can be obtained but the tales of old Norwegian times. with which the aged of course are the best furnished? The tale goes around, and traditional lore is thus transmitted, to be treasured in new depositories, and to bewitch and enslave the minds of youthful hearers, whose fancy becomes degraded and fettered, never to be released,

unless religion bring "liberty to the captive, eye-sight to the blind, and the opening of the prison-doors to such as are bound."

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We returned to Sea-field in peace, and having closed the day with prayer, retired to rest. The evident interest which my landlord took in the exercise greatly raised him in my esteem. Swearing is so common, that persons do not generally know when they are guilty of it. Captain S. mentioned a remarkable instance of daring and profanity in a cabin-boy of his. The little fellow had gone aloft to adjust a sail, and, by the heaving of the vessel, was jerked from the yard. To the terror of every spectator, he was seen to swing by a rope of which he had hold far off over the "Keep hold," said the captain. The boy was breathless for an instant, but his first words were, "D-1 a fear's in me." Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him? A phrase obtains in this country, "Ye must either flit us or feed us," and is used by beggars when they enter a house near a sound which they want to cross, and have not money to pay the ferriage. Mr. O. used it on board, when we were not likely to get on shore by a boat.

sea.

July 7.-My thoughts were somewhat of a melancholy cast, but perhaps my cold affrighted me more than it should have done, more especially as the medicine, as soon as taken, brought relief and subdued it. About one A. M., midst wind and rain, a dreadful noise was heard at the door, forcible attempts were made to burst it open, and a person said aloud, "Why now te door is fastened on te inside !"—as if this were a matter of surprise. I knew not what to think; roars and screams and knocks succeeded one another, but not an inmate moved. Who could tell if this were a Zet

land serenade, not unlike the Abyssinian one described by Bruce-it might be fire or robbers,

"Or more of terrible and awfu',

Which e'en to name would be unlawfu'."

At last Mr. O. rose, as it seemed to my ear, to scold and scare them. It turned out that the Coldstream had sent into the voe a boat with a number of articles to Mr. O. Matters were arranged, and the good old gentleman got safe to rest again, with only a bite from a wild cat, which had intruded itself into his bed.

It was a Zetland morning, chill, raw, and damp. We crossed between eleven and twelve, and went to church. Unfavourable as was the morning, it was well attended but such a place of worship! The floor was earth, the roof exhibited its naked rafters, the windows were broken, the door was off its hinges, the gallery was bolstered up with rude and naked beams, and, as for the pulpit, I was glad when it gave no symptoms of sinking beneath its slender incumbent. The singing was certainly not in the style of Handel. The lecture was on the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians: the sermon on justification by faith, Romans v. 10. It was a season of comfort; and, when I saw their deep attention and tearful eyes, when their half-suppressed sobs broke forth, it was moving; and I thought of Him who was touched with compassion, because the people were as sheep without a shepherd. Lord, send forth labourers into the field, for the harvest of souls is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Nothing could exceed the pleasure of such as I spoke to, on the subject of a preacher's coming to reside and itinerate among them. They said it was little, very little, they could do, but O, how glad should they be to receive instruction from

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any one who would give it! The church is nearly deserted. A deacon of Mr. R.'s lives here, and speaks on the sabbath, but few can attend to hear him. * Mr. O. contrives that I shall taste every Zetland rarity. He had before given me different kinds of fish, tuck, ling, turbot, &c.; to-day we had beef, a rarity at this season, and a dish made of fish-liver. These are little things; but kindness deals in retail, and meets you at every turn. In the afternoon went to visit deacon P.'s father. Since 1809 he had laboured under a disease of the liver; but while his mortal part decayed, his soul was growing in comfort, and in joy and peace. At first he was reluctant to speak on this latter subject. "Stranger though you are," said he, "I may venture to say I have peace-I have hope-God is gracious to me." And in many such words, with joyful tears and trembling lip, he spoke of the glory of his Redeemer. We prayed together; his whole family were in tears; but they were not of unmingled bitterness; and it was worth while to have come four hundred miles to have been present. In the evening had some pleasant conversation with Mr. O. and Dr. B., who came to drink tea with us, and the hours slid swiftly and insensibly away. I did all I could to give a spiritual direction to the conversation, and in part succeeded.

July 8.—At seven A. M., by Dr. B.'s kindness, had his boat manned, and having received a despatch to say that the Coldstream sails to-morrow at twelve, set out for Lerwick, thirty-five miles of sea, in an open boata canoe. Parted with these two excellent gentlemen, both of whom urged me to repeat the visit, and hailed the idea of a missionary coming to the parish. Our passage was accomplished in six hours and a half, and