Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/477

 Eccr,ESIOLOGICAL NoTES OX THE IsLE OF MaN, RoSS, SuTHEEEAND, AND THE Orkneys ; or, A Summer Pilgrimage to S. Maughold and S. Magnus. London, Masters. This is an agreeable little book, the aiitlior is a pleasing writer, in an easy, fluent, lively style, his descriptions of natural scenery are vivid and truthful, his legendarj^ tales shew learning and research without osten- tation, and the leading facts which may be considered as history are cleverly drawn out from the mass of contradictions and fables, with which they ai'e encumbered by the monkish historians. Altogether it is an ex- cellent guide-book for a summer's toui-, and we hope that many will be in- duced to follow his footsteps through the north of Scotland and the northern islands. His descriptions of castles and domestic buildings which he meets with partake of the usual character of his writing ; they are concise, but clear and intelligible, and happily expressed. But the special object of the tour was " Ecclesiology,'" and the intention in printing this account of it was especially to describe the churches. Unfortunately in this part of his work the author has employed many terms which must render this part of his book perfectly unuitelligible to all ordinary readers. Occasionally in- deed the author seems conscious of the obscure character of the lan- guage which he employs, and makes use of such common and in- telligible terms as " Norman*' and " Flamboyant," to explain his mean- ing. We only wish he had done so always, and he would have done much more service to the cause which we have no doubt he really has at heart, if he had done so. What are we to understand by the following pas- sage ? — " The remarkable disoricntatioH of the chancel to the south is worthy of notice ; it gives at first sight the effect of a gigantic apse to the whole north side of the ruins." p. 57. We must confess that w^e are wholly at fault, nor do we derive any assistance from the ground-plan of the ancient cathedral at Fortrose, which accompanies the notice of it. There ap- pears to be some irregularity in this plan, such as we very frequently find in the ground-plans of old churches, whether large or small, arising from different circumstances of soil and site, and partly from the careless- ness and inattention to this point, which is characteristic of the medi- eval builders. Such accidental irregularities have led some imaginative observ6rs to attribute them to various causes, overlooking the fact, that a theory which suits one building is entirely contradicted by another. But to return to our author. Another difficulty is the description of the church of St. Duthus of Tain. " It consists of chancel, nave, chapel at the south-east of the -former, south porch, detachrd tower in the middle of the toion, and detached chapel standing a Utile to the south of that I have just named. The access to the church is a matter of some difficulty, from the forest of nettles which surrounds it." p. G2. Wc have met with