Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

INSULAR CHURCHES. 395
less than twenty-five in Lewis. Since, in many of the
islands, as in Barra, for example, in Isla, in Sky, and
elsewhere, the ruins of some of these are still remaining,
it may be concluded, from their limited dimensions, that
some of them, at least, were chapels of the same nature;
sometimes possibly without attendants, as is still seen in
Catholic countries, and generally, perhaps, votive. Some
of those in Barra are on so small a scale as to be scarcely
more than sufficient to hold three or four persons; giving
a reasonable ground for this conjecture. Martin, indeed,
in enumerating those of South Uist, distinguishes them
into churches and chapels : allowing two of the former
and five of the latter. Monro's account, however, difters,
as he calls five of them churches. But elsewhere, Martin
has left us to guess, where to guess is almost vain. Yet
it is impossible to suppose but that some similar propor-
tions must have existed throughout the islands in gene-
ral ;
though, where I have been left to pure conjecture, I
have allowed only one chapel to each recorded church ;
as the number of the population, far less in those days
than at present, could not have required or justified a
greater number of parish churches. That argument indeed
is not of much weight. A better one may be derived from
the probable wealth of the church, which could not have
maintained a large establishment of parish priests. At
this moment, there can be no doubt that the agricultural
revenue of the islands is far greater than it was under
the ancient miserable system of cultivation and pasturage;
even were we to put the fisheries out of the question.
To add to this, we must take the revenue arising from
kelp, as not much less than a third of the total present
rental, which could not, even now, well maintain a much
larger ecclesiastical establishment than it possesses ; al-
though we shall not be far wrong if we take the present
value at six times the ancient one. The rich endowments