iu Orcadian or Northern history who can possibly be counected with "Zichmni," and for this reason the two are usually identified as one and the same? The ancient Earls of ()rkney had become extinct in the middle of the fourteenth centukv. About 1357 one Malise Sperre had claimed the earldom, but though from his name he appears to have beeu of N-orse descent, his title was uot recogniscd by the Norwegian king Hakon. Instead the islands were granted to Henry Sinclair, whose mother was the daughter o-f Malise, Earl of ()rkney and Caithness, and grand-daughter of the last Scandinavian erl of Orkney, Magnus. In 1379 he lnade his declaration of loyalty to the Kiug of Norway, promising amongst other things to buihl no forts upou the islands. The conditions of his tenure were indeed very exacting, but in exchange he required from the Norwegian king a guarantee against vexatiou by "our cousin Malise Sperre.' As the sequel to this we learn that in 1391 "the Earl of Orkney killed Malise Spene in ttialtland" (Shetland "with seveu others. but a certain youth with six others found a boat at ScMloway and escaped to -orway." a In this event has beeu discerued a historic corroboration of the attack which Zeno mentions as made hv "Zichmni" upon "Estlanda" and "Ishmde." It is not in the least likely that Sinclair, after solcmnly promising to support in every possible way the King of Norway, to furnish him with a hundred men when required, to defend the Orkneys and Shetlands, or to aid against foreign aggression, wonhi turn round at ouce upon his liege lord. He did indeed break his oath by building a fort at Kirkwall, s but this did not involve a war with his suzerain. The struggle between Sinclair and Sperre might possibly, to Zeno, wear the aspect of a struggle with Norway, as there is some slight ground for associating Sperre with the Korwegian party.

$inclair's lordship included the Orkneys, Shetlands, and FarSes. "Sofario" is identified by Mr. Major with the islet of Swoua in the Pentland Firth, and "Podanda" or "l'orlanda "--for both are read t

Zahrtmam (Majo,', 'Zcni,' xxvi., xxvii.) denies that ,Sinclair and "Ziehmni" a,'e tile same, as Sinclair witnessed certain Norwegian acts in matter of l'tt.t the t,.avels conhi not have taken place belbre l:. an,I this ,late removes tile difficulty. I'i,b. ,'qkene, ' Celtic ,'%otland,' iii. 452, 45:-I; Sir W. l},mghts, l'eerage of ,'qcotland, ii. 3; ' 'hronicles and Memorials of ,'qcothmd,' Exchequer Rolls, vol. viii. l'P- xxxv.-xxxvii. lh-kney (al,l,arently with ,'4hetlands and Farties) was hehl by the Ea,'l as a fief of N,,rway, whilst t'aitlmess was a Scotch a l,arkv,, History of the Orkneys,' l:l;. ,'gee also T,rfieus, ' Orcades.' Excheque,- Rolls, ,'4cotland, viii. p. xxxvii.

Ilis name, and tile lhct titat his adherents tied to Norxvay.