The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

358
THE BEITISH ISLES.
inhabitants of which are distinguished for their eutei-prise, presenting a singular
contrast to the sluggishness of their Gaelic neighbours. The descendants of
these hostile races have, like oil and water, long refused to mingle. It
would nevertheless be next to impossible to define the boundaries between the
various races throughout the country. Language certainly would prove no safe
guide, for many of the Gaels have given up their language and speak English.
Out of 3,500, OUO Scotchmen only 250,000 are able to express themselves
Fig. 178.—Li.vGnsTic Map of Scotland.
According to E. G- R^vpnstein.
Proportion of Gaelic-speaking Inhabitantg*
in Gaelic, and of these only 49,000 are ignorant of English.* As to the Scandi-
navians, not one amongst their descendants now speaks Old Norse. The greater
number of them speak English, but many, too, have adopted Gaelic. In most of the
islands the names of places are Danish, although Gaelic has for centuries been the
spoken language. Even in St. Kilda, remote as is its situation, an intermingling
of Gaels and Northmen has been recognised, f The use of Celtic was discon-
* E. G. Ravenstein, "On the Celtic Languages in the British Isles."
t Sands, " Out of the "World, or Life in St. Kilda."