PERTH, the principal town of Perthshire, and the most central in Scotland, is situated on the banks of the river Tay, about twenty-five miles above its confluence with the German Ocean, in latitude 56. 23.40. north, and longitude 3. 26. 20. west. The situation of Perth is one of the finest that can be imagined. Two beautiful and extensive meadows, called the North Inch and South Inch, bound it upon two sides. On the east it is washed by the waters of the Tay, whilst on the west and the south-west it is surrounded by a screen of hills, of moderate elevation, but richly wooded, and sloping gently down towards the town and the river. Of these hills, or rather eminences, the highest is that of Moncrieff, which is 756 feet above the level of the sea; but the landscape that opens to the eye from its summit is one of the finest in Scotland, comprehending in the northern distance a noble sweep of the Grampian Mountains, and presenting to the westward a splendid view of Strathearn, intersected by the numerous windings of its river; whilst to the east appear the Carse of Gowrie, rich in all the beau [7:17:287]ties of fertility, and the majestic Tay rolling onwards to the sea. The site of Perth is remarkably low, being only a few feet above the level of the sea; but notwithstanding this circumstance, and the vicinity of hills, the climate is not particularly moist, and is considered as healthy. The lowness of the situation, however, exposes the town to frequent inundations from the river, several of which make rather a formidable appearance in its annals. The greatest of these upon record appears to have happened in the reign of William the Lion, who is said to have narrowly escaped with his family and court, from the sudden rising of the waters. The years 1621, 1773, and 1814 are also memorable in the burgh records for similar and equally extensive casualties. The deepening of the Tay below the town, which has been in progress for some years, will, however, ultimately lessen the dangers to be apprehended from these sudden inundations, by affording a deeper and freer channel for the waters of the river.

Perth is one of the most ancient towns in Scotland, and its civil history, up to the sixteenth century, is deeply interwoven with the national annals. Its origin is buried in the obscurity of the past, and the very etymology of its name is uncertain.^[1. Lord Hailes informs us, in his Annals, that he had been favoured with various etymologies of the name, but not knowing which to choose, he had omitted them all. We learn from Fordun, however, that the town was formerly called Bertha, which is probably the Celtic Bhar-tatha, signifying the height of Tay, or Kinnoull Hill, immediately contiguous to the town; and this conjecture is strengthened by the circumstance that the word Tatha in Celtic is pronounced as Ta or Tay in English; so that Bertha is very nearly the exact sound of Bhar-tatha. But as the mutes B and P are interchangeable in Celtic, the one being used indiscriminately for the other, Bertha was shortened into Berth or Perth, in the ordinary course of human speech. It may be added, that the names of many places in the neighbourhood, as well as all over Scotland, are of Celtic origin, and that the vernacular language of the people not many miles from Perth still continues io be a dialect of that .original language. ] For many centuries it was called St Johnston, which appears indeed to have been its most ancient designation. This name was, it seems, given to it from the circumstance of the first church erected in it, after the conversion of the inhabitants to Christianity, being dedicated to St John the Baptist; a circumstance which is in some degree confirmed by the ancient seal of the burgh, on which is represented the martyrdom of the saint. The city records are very ancient, but are not legible farther back than the year 1512. From that period they are very complete, and contain matter equally curious and interesting to the historian and the antiquary. Indeed, some of our early historians are of opinion that the town was founded by the Roman general Àgricoa, who erected a citadel to maintain his conquests, and check the wild spirit of the savage natives. In corroboration of this opinion, it may be stated, that there are no less than four great military roads, leading to the city from different points, which are all evidently of Roman origin. Its central situation, as well as the fertility of the soil, and the beauty of the surrounding country, must naturally have suggested to those discriminating invaders its occupation as a military station. But not to dwell on apocryphal events and circumstances, faintly looming on the verge of authentic history, the first fact of any importance which emerges from its early annals is the charter granted by William the Lion, in 1210, and which raised it to the dignity of a royal burgh. It has been said, however, that Perth must have been a royal burgh in 1106, from the terms of a charter granted in that year by Edgar, in favour of one John Mercer, who in it is designated as a burgess of the city. In the charter of confirmation by James VI. allusion is also made to a previous one, granted by David I., who died in the year 1153. Perth enjoys the dignity of having been the ancient metropolis of Scotland. James II. was the first Scottish monarch crowned in Edinburgh, an event which happened in the year 1447; and soon afterwards the parliament and courts of justice were removed thither; but it was not until 1482, in the reign of James III., that Edinburgh was declared to be the capital of Scotland, and the Scottish court finally removed from the city of St John.

Perth appears to have been early fortified. From its importance as the seat of government, its central situation, and its vicinity to the Highlands, some defence was absolutely necessary. In these rude ages it was surrounded by the feudal castles of several powerful barons, with some of whom the inhabitants appear to have been frequently at feud, whilst with others, as Chartres of Kinfauns, the Earl of Gowrie, the Earl of Atholl, Lord Scone, and Threipland of Fingask, they were on such friendly terms as to have had one of their number for chief magistrate. Amusing evidence is to be found in the records of the burgh, of these alternate feuds and fraternizations. The worthy burgesses seem to have been men of mettle in those days, and on various occasions sallying forth from behind their walls, set fire to the castles of their haughty neighbours, when the latter, probably in reprisal for some offence, had forbidden their vassals to carry provisions to the city. In the year 1311, Robert Bruce laid siege to the town, but was obliged to withdraw his troops, after various unsuccessful attempts to take it. Not discouraged, however, the Scottish hero, having selected a band of determined men, and chosen a dark night, led them on in person, scaled the walls, and carried the town, sword in hand, the king himself being the second man who entered the place. About the beginning of the fourteenth century, the famous combat between the Clan Chattan and the Clan Quhele or Clan Kay, took place on the North Inch, and was decided in favour of the former, partly by the bravery of a citizen or burgess called Harry Wynd, whom the chief of the Clan Chattan had engaged on the spot to supply the place of one of his men who had failed to appear. The particulars of this singular conflict have been described by Sir Walter Scott in the first series of his Tales of a Grandfather; and in his romance of the Fair Maid of Perth, he has, with equal skill and effect, availed himself of the traditional story, which he has embellished with the felicity peculiar to his rich and inventive genius. This city has also been the scene of several of those social tragedies, in which the history of Scotland, in those rude times, was so prolific. In the year 1336, King Edward III. of England stabbed his brother the Duke of Cornwall, before the high altar of the church of St John; and in 1437, James I. was murdered in the monastery of the Blackfriars, with circumstances of the most savage barbarity. The murderers were executed in Perth, and the details of their punishment are of the most revolting character, reflecting but little honour on the good feeling and humanity of our forefathers. Perth appears to have been several times visited by the plague, particularly in 1512, 1585, 1608, and 1645. Its ravages during the last of these visitations were severe, three thousand persons having become its victims. In 1617, James VI. honoured the ancient capital of Scotland with a visit, the details of which, as found in the burgh records, are not a little graphic and entertaining. And in 1623, one of those exhibitions, of which James was so fond, and which leave a stain upon the national annals, took place in Perth; we mean, the burning of three poor women for witchcraft. In 1633, Charles I., in his tour through Scotland, visited Perth; and in 1651, Oliver Cromwell took military possession of the city, and erected a citadel on the South Inch. In 1559 John Knox appeared in Perth, and the excitement produced by his preaching, with the imprudent conduct of the Catholic clergy, caused the destruction of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in the city. Previously to the Reformation, Perth was crowded with religious houses, the cowled inmates of which swarmed in the [7:17:288]city like bees. Many of these houses were buildings distinguished for elegance and taste, and the destruction of them is therefore much to be regretted. But the fury of the inhabitants was, in a great measure, confined to the edifices, which they were taught by their new instructors to regard as the abodes of iniquity; and hence, whilst they pulled down “the nests that the rooks might be scattered,” they offered little personal insult to any one, and not a single Roman Catholic was put to death. The men of Perth, however, were zealously devoted to the cause of the Reformation. Three hundred of their number, bedecked with “St Johnston ribands,” set out from the city, determined to prosecute the work of reformation, or to perish in the attempt. Before they reached Stirling, their numbers had increased to five thousand; and by the appearance of this faithful band, the struggle between the queen and the reformers was speedily brought to an end without the effusion of blood. The year 1600 was rendered memorable by the occurrence of the famous Gowrie conspiracy, as it is called; one of those events on which ingenuity and research have exhausted themselves in vain, and which, in its origin and circumstances, still remains enveloped in impenetrable mystery.

The present level of the city has been ascertained to be higher than it was at one period, and the level of the river appears also to have risen along with it, to the great injury of the navigation; vessels of considerable burden formerly discharging their cargoes farther up than they can do at present. The burgh of Perth is invested with an ample jurisdiction over the river, but does not appear to have paid much attention to the improvement of the navigation·. Of late years, however, the subject has excited considerable interest; and, in 1834, the town-council obtained an act for deepening the river, and constructing a tide harbour and wet-dock. A powerful steam dredging-vessel has for some time been in operation on the river, and such have been its effects, that vessels of 200 tons, it is expected, w ill be soon able to discharge their cargoes at Perth. The city has also lately obtained the privilege of bonded warehouses, which will materially assist its foreign trade. The exports of the city, however, are comparatively but trifling; the accessible and thriving port of Dundee absorbing a great part of the foreign as well as coasting trade, which Perth formerly possessed. Potatoes constitute a considerable article of export to the London market, and the external commerce of the city may now be expected to improve, as the facilities of its river navigation increase. The imports are chiefly from the Baltic, and consist of flax, hemp, timber, seeds, cheese, and foreign spirits; coals, lime, salt, and manure, form the general coasting freights. In 1836, 736 vessels entered the' harbour of Perth, the tonnage of which amounted to 40,000 tons. The capital vested in shipping is, however, but trifling. Between five and six thousand tons, in about eighty vessels of every description, comprise the shipping of the port of Perth. The salmon caught in the river form an item of some importance in its commerce, and are exported to London. The revenue of the burgh from its fisheries alone amounts to L.830 per annum.

A considerable quantity of cotton goods is manufactured in Perth, chiefly for Glasgow houses. The principal articles are ginghams, pullicates, umbrella-cloths, harness-muslins, and linen-lawns, employing about 1600 weavers. Calico printing and bleaching are carried on in the neighbourhood, to a very considerable extent. A large mill has lately been erected for spinning flax; and an establishment of this description has long been known as one of the best managed and most extensive in Scotland. There are, besides, three large founderies in operation, in which the manufacture of machinery and iron goods is considerable. But Perth ap pears to have rather retrograded as a seat of trade and commerce, as the early records of the burgh show that it formerly carried on an extensive traffic with the Baltic, the

Mediterranean, and the Netherlands; the decay of which arose most probably from the increasing obstructions to the navigation of the river, by the gradual elevation of its bed from the accumulation of alluvial deposit, and from other incidental causes. The tanning of leather and the manufacture of gloves were at one time extensively carried on in Perth, but these trades havé now greatly fallen off. About forty years ago, the printing of books was also a trade of some importance, but it is now of little consequence. Of late years ship-building has also been carried on to some extent. From the eligibility of its situation, the cheapness of living, and the low price of education of the best des Motion, many respectable families in easy circumstances mSe Perth their residence.

The government of the city is vested in a lord provost, who is also sheriff and coroner, four bailies, a treasurer, the dean of guild, who is ex officio a member of the council, and nineteen councillors. There are two city clerks, a procurator fiscal, and a chamberlain. The city sends a member to parliament; and, in 1837, the constituency amounted to 1073. The burgh has a very large property and revenue, the former derived chiefly from the favour and munificence of several of the Scottish sovereigns. The property is estimated at L.67,510. Ils. 10d. and the revenue for 1836-1837 was L.6334. 8s. The debt of the city amounts to L.33,723, and the expenditure to L.5926. 1 ls. 7d. After Edinburgh was constituted the capital of the kingdom, Perth stood second on the roll of burghs of the Scottish parliament, and is still entitled to hold that rank. Its chief magistrate has for centuries enjoyed the title of lord provost; and by a judgment of the Court of Session (12th March 1836), he is still entitled to that distinction. The Circuit Court of Justiciary is held here twice a year, when the criminal offences committed in the counties of Perth, Fife, and Forfar are tried. At the spring court of 1838 the cases brought to trial were upwards of fifty in number, and although few of them were of great turpitude, the court were occupied during five days in disposing of them.

In the year 1831 the population of Perth amounted to 20,016 persons, but by a census recently taken, it is at present only 19,601, being 415 less than it was in 1831. The causes of this decrease are not easily ascertainable. Of the population, 11,683 have been stated as connected with the established church, and the rest arc dissenters. In 1831 there were 2049 inhabited houses, containing 4956 families. Of public buildings, the principal are the bridge over th Tay, the barracks, the dépôt built for the reception of Frepcι prisoners during the war, St Paul’s Church, the building erected to the memory of Provost Marshall, which contains a public library and the museum of the Literary and Antiquarian Society, the Perth Academy, the water-wOrks, and the county buildings, a large and tasteful structure, situated close to the bank of the river. The lunatic asylum, an elegant building, is situated on the hill of Kinnoull; and an infirmary is almost finished. Besides these public buildings, several handsome streets have of late years been erected, which, combined with the natural beauty of the situation, render Perth one of the most desirable places of residence in this country. The town is well supplied with water, filtered from the river by a very ingenious method; and it is also well lighted with gas, by a company established for the purpose. The assessment for water cannot exceed five per cent, on the rental. The revenue of the post-office is about L.4000.

The Perth Academy, instituted in the year 1760, enjoys a high reputation as a seminary of classical and scientific learning. There are thirty-five schools in Perth, including the Academy. In the year 1834 the town-council applied to government for a grant, which, assisted by private subscriptions, has provided accommodation for 400 additional scholars. In 1697 a proposal was made to remove the Univer [7:17:289]sity of St Andrews to Perth. The inhabitants have established several religious and charitable societies; and also a literary and antiquarian society of some note, which has a museum and library attached to it. A savings-bank was likewise established in 1815, the accumulated deposits of which, from that time till 1836, amounted to L.3188. 13s. 10d∙, whilst the sum lodged during 1836 exceeded L.381. In 1836 the assessment for the poor was L.2128. 13s. 3d. which was raised by a five per cent, tax upon rental, and L.723. 5s. 2∣d. were collected at the church doors; besides which, the incorporated trades expend annually above L.2000 for the relief of their poor members. The poor’s-funds obtained from the hospital of King James average yearly about L.435; and there are two other mortifications for their behoof, wduch realise annually L.312.10s.; so that, not to mention various charitable societies, the interests of the poor are apparently well attended to in this ancient city.