KIRKWALL, a royal and parliamentary burgh of Scotland, and the chief town of the Orkney Islands, is situated near the centre of the island group, at the southeast corner of a well-sheltered bay on the east side of the island of Pomona, 240 miles north of Edinburgh by steamer, 58 north of Wick, and 54 north of Thurso. It consists principally of an irregular street about a mile in length running along the margin of the bay, and so narrow that carts and similar vehicles in many places cannot pass each other. The houses are generally substantially built, with the gables facing the street nearly as frequently as the fronts. In courts leading from the main street there are many ancient buildings, formerly occupied during winter by the leading families of the islands. The more modern portion of the town is built with great regularity, and in the suburbs there are several good villas surrounded by gardens. The most prominent feature of the town is the cathedral, dedicated to St Magnus, the patron saint of Orkney, a stately cruciform structure with a length of 226 feet from east to west and a breadth of 56 feet. It was founded by Earl Ronald in 1137,'and the older portion, embracing the greater part of the present building, is in the Norman style of architecture. The choir was lengthened by Bishop Stewart in 1511, and the western extremity of the nave was completed by Bishop Reid, who succeeded to the bishopric in 1540. The building has undergone extensive repairs during the present century. The choir is used as the parish church. The bells were presented by Bishop Maxwell, the predecessor or Bishop Reid, but the larger or tenor bell was recast in 1862. The cathedral contains a number of old monuments. Adjoining it are the ruins of the bishop’s palace, where King Haco died in ...