PERTHSHIRE, one of the most extensive and beautiful counties in Scotland, being very compact and almost circular in form, is situated nearly in the centre of the kingdom. Its extreme length from east to west is about seventy-seven miles, and its greatest breadth from north to south is about sixty-eight miles. Its area has been variously estimated; but the nearest approximation to accuracy gives 2588 square miles of land and more than fifty of water. Of the 1,656,320 acres forming its superficial contents, from 500,000 to 600,000 are, according to the most recent statements, under cultivation; as many more are still uncultivated, though capable in part of tillage; and the remainder is almost wholly barren and unproductive. On the east Perthshire is bounded by the counties of Forfar, Fife, and Kinross; on the north, by Inverness and Aberdeen; on the south, by Stirling and Clackmannan; and on the west, by the shires of Argyle and Dumbarton. Its ancient and still popularly known divisions are Monteith, Athole, Stratheam, Breadalbane, Rannoch, Stormont, Perth proper, and Gowrie, to which some add Bal-quhidder and Glenorchy. It is under the jurisdiction of a sheriff and two substitutes, one of whom resides at Perth, and the other at Dumblane. There are within its boundaries seventy-eight parishes, or portions of parishes, some of them running into other adjacent counties.

Perthshire is distinguished amongst the counties of Scotland for the rich, varied, and picturesque beauty of its surface. From the commanding range of the Grampians, and numerous other secondary elevations, the country slopes gently down into extensive tracts of rich and fertile land, •beautifully diversified, and adorned with wood and water, hill and dale, in every possible combination. Where the elevated ranges gradually disappear in the champaign country, nothing can exceed the rich and undulating character of the scenery, broken into noble and irregular valleys, or spreading out into extensive alluvial tracts, watered by streams of almost every size and character. The county of Perth is now generally divided into the highland and lowland divisions, the surface of the former being far more extensive than that of the latter. The fertile or lowland districts are chiefly, but by no means entirely, situated towards the eastern and the southern boundaries of the county. The fine valley of Stratheam, having the Grampian range on the north-west, with the Ochils and Sidlaw hills on the east, traverses it from north-east to south-west, and, including certain portions of the contiguous valleys of the Tay and the Almond, forms one of the richest and most extensive tracts in the kingdom. Besides the extensive valley of Strathearn, there are others of considerable dimensions, studded with lakes, and enlivened with streams of every variety of character. Such are those of the Tay, the Isla, and the' Almond, and the valley of the Tummel, with its clear, soft, and beautiful lake, richly fringed on the margin with wood of various kinds, rising boldly up on the south, into the steep ridges of Schehallion and Faragon. Glenlyen and the val ley of the Brann are not less rich and beautiful; and there are many others scarcely inferior to these in size and picturesque variety of scenery.

Perthshire is distinguished for its noble ranges of mountains, as well as for the great elevation to which some of them attain. The highest is Benlawers, 4015 feet: Benmore is 3903; Cairn Gower, 3690; and Schehallion, 3564. This last mountain is distinguished by its fine conoidal outline, as well as for being the spot selected by Dr Maskelyne fçr making his experiments to-determine the density of the earth. Benledi rises to the height of 3550 feet; Ben Ard-lanach to that of 3500; and Ben Venu to that of 3000; besides many others of considerable though inferior altitude. The principal lake is Loch Tay, fifteen miles in length, and about two at its greatest breadth. The outline of this fine lake is somewhat deficient in beauty, from the nearly straight and rigid character of its shores, particularly on the north side. At Killin and Taymouth, however, the scenery is varied and noble, presenting ample materials to the pencil of the artist. Loch Ericht is about sixteen miles in length, but half of it is included in the county of Inverness. The country around it is bare, wild, and devoid of interest. Loch Rannoch, which is nearly twelve miles in length from east to west, exhibits greater variety of outline, and its banks are agreeably diversified with old birches, the remnants of the once extensive forest of Rannoch. The finest view of Schehallion is obtained from the northern bank of this lake, at a point about four miles above Kinloch Rannoch. Viewed from the spot in question, the mountain presents a figure nearly conical, appearing to rise out of the lower extremity of the loch, and show ing, in contrast with the water, one of the most magnificent natural objects to be seen in this or in any other country. Loch Earn, about six or seven miles in length, is a beautiful lake, with a richly-wooded, and in many places a highly-cultivated, but narrow strip of margin, from which the hills ascend rapidly and steeply. On the south-west there is the noble chain of lakes, Loch Ketterin, Loch Achray, and Loch Vennachar, which discharge their waters into the Forth. The scenery of these lakes is so well known as the locality of Sir Walter Scott’s poetical romance, the Lady of the Lake, that it is unnecessary to describe its peculiar features. They are of the most varied and striking kind, such indeed as require to be seen in order to be fully appreciated; and the pencil rather than the pen must be employed to convey to those who have not beheld them a just conception of their mingled beauty, wildness, and magnificence. Divided from these by a ridge of elevated hills, we find Loch Ard, Upper and Lower, and Loch Con, from which the Forth takes his rise. The well-known lake of Monteith is in the vicinity of the latter. There are many other lakes, such as Loch Tummel, Loch Garry, Loch Voíl, and Loch Lubnaig, all of some extent, and some of them rich in picturesque beauty of situation and outline. In the eastern quarter of the county is to be found another chain of lakes extending from near Dunkeld towards Blairgowrie, which are less known than they deserve to be. These are the three lochs of the Lowes, Marly, and Clunie. An old mansion on the loch of Chmie is said to have been the birthplace of the admirable Crichton.

The rivers of Perthshire are, the Tay, the largest stream in Scotland, with a course about ninety miles in length; the Isla, with its tributary the Ericht; and the Earn. The Tay and the Earn belong exclusively to this county, their entire course being confined to it; the Isla in the early part of its course sweeps through the western part of Forfarshire. The Tay is considered to discharge more water into the sea than any other river in Great Britain; the basin which it drains not only being very extensive in itself, and the seat of elevated mountain ranges, but abounding in streams of considerable magnitude, the principal of which it absorbs in its progress towards the German Ocean. Of those minor streams, which [7:17:290]augment the volume of the Tay, the chief are the Lyon, the Almond, the Isla, the Brann, the Garry, and the Tummel. Throughout a considerable part of its course the scenery on the banks of the Tay is of the grandest and most impressive character; particularly in the upper part of its course, from Loch Tay, through the strath which takes its name from the river, to the pass of Bimam, where its banks become more level, and the country around assumes a softer character. But what is lost in boldness and grandeur is fully compensated by the rich and varied beauties of a wooded and cultivated soil, enriched with noble seats and stately mansions. The Earn passes through a rich and picturesque country; in some places bold and alpine in its character, and in others abounding in the mellow beauties of cultivation. On its banks, not far from its confluence with the Frith of Tay, stands the village of Pitcaithley, celebrated for its mineral waters, and now a favourite resort of fashionable valetudinarians. The Tummel is one of the finest rivers in Scotland, and is especially rich in wild and romantic scenery, from its source in Loch Rannoch, to its confluence with the Tay, immediately below the village of Logierait. The Earn and the Lyon, the Almond, the Brann, and the Airdle, besides other smaller streams, we can only afford to notice generally. They all partake more or less of the character of the fine districts which they traverse; imparting life and animation to many a mountain solitude, besides draining and watering extensive tracts of country.

Of the temperature of a region differing so much in exposure and elevation, nothing certain can safely be affirmed. In the upper and more elevated districts, where the mountain ranges slope down into the level country, and amongst the numerous glens which penetrate these in all directions, the climate is charged with moisture in a higher degree, the winters are longer and more severe, the snow frequently lies longer on the ground, and the spring is generally later than in the lower districts of the county. The highest summer temperature rarely exceeds sixty-five degrees, and the mean temperature, in three different situations in the county (none of them, however, more than 150 feet above the sea), has been found to be forty-seven degrees. The cloudy character of the atmosphere in the mountainous districts, by excluding the light of the sun, retards the ripening of the crops, and accumulates moisture, which tends to lower the average temperature. The district of Perth proper is said to be the least humid, the average water being only twenty-three inches; but in the Carse of Gowrie, on the shores of the Frith of Tay, the mean quantity of rain for twelve years was twenty-four inches and a half; at Perth, for a period of sixteen years, it was 26∙95 inches; and at Belmont, in Strathmore, for thirty years, it was as high as 30∙40 inches. The extensive drainage, executed of late years by various proprietors, has no doubt tended considerably to ameliorate the climate.

As far as is yet known, the minerals of Perthshire, in a commercial or economical point of view, are of no great public importance. Abundance of coal is to be found at Culross on the Forth, where it has long been wrought; but the situation renders it of no use to the inland and higher districts. Limestone is plentiful, and is wrought in considerable quantities; but for want of proper fuel it is not so generally used as it would be, peat, the only fuel in the upper districts, not being strong enough for the purpose of calcination. Lord Willoughby d’Eresby and Sir Niel Menzies have, however, lately devoted their attention to the compression of peat; and the results which they have obtained encourage the hope that that species of fuel may yet be rendered available to the improvement of the barren districts in which it abounds. Marble of a pretty good quality is found in Glentilt, and is now becoming an article of some importance in commerce. Slate is wrought in various places, particularly in the neighbourhood of Dunkeld; ironstone is found on the Devon, where it supplies the extensive ironworks established there; and copper and lead mines are said to have been at one time in operation, but have long since been abandoned. On the east side of the county shell-marl is plentiful, and is freely used as a manure. In the higher districts the general basis is granite, but in the lower sandstone prevails. The sandstone, which is of the primitive kind, stretches from the valley of Strathmore to the neighbourhood of Callander, with a dip varying from 15° to 25° towards the north-west. It seems to have received this position from the action of the central force which elevated the range of trap hills traversing the island from Montrose to Dumbarton.

In a county of so great extent, and possessing such a variety of surface, considerable diversity must exist in the character of the soil. The carse or alluvial lands on the shores of the Frith of Tay have long been celebrated for their fertility. They are considered as the joint produce of river and sea deposition for a series of ages. The general character of the soil is that of a rich clay, very deep, in some places alternating with layers of peat, and having sand and marine deposits at the bottom. This soil is not wholly alluvial, being sometimes mixed with the debris of trap-rocks, and also of the sandstone, which, as already mentioned, forms a geological characteristic of the lowland districts of Perthshire. Considerable tracts of this inferior description of alluvial soil are found accompanying the courses of the principal rivers, and extend into the upper portions of Strath-Tay, Strath-Airdle, and Strath-Tummel. A soil composed of clay and sand, and called by agriculturists a till, extends along a vast tract of this county from east to west, and is supposed to be formed from the red sandstone prevalent in that district. Peat is to be met with almost everywhere in Perthshire; that known by the name of Moss Flanders is said to extend over ten thousand acres, and is amongst the largest continuous tracts of this description in the united kingdom.

In the arable districts of this county, such as the Carse of Gowrie, and the fertile lands skirting part of the course of its principal rivers, the modes of agriculture and management of farms are much the same as in the other agricultural counties of Scotland. But of late years a spirit of improvement has been introduced, which has been much felt in this county, chiefly in the upper districts, where the old “runrig” system long kept its ground tenaciously,-under the modified form of joint farms. The arable farms vary in extent from fifty to five hundred acres, and upwards; and in the Carse of Gowrie the rents are as high as in any part of the kingdom. Wheat is raised on the best soils, and has been attempted, not unsuccessfully, as high up in the county as Dunkeld. In the wheat-growing soils this crop usually alternates with beans and peas, barley, hay, and oats. Flax is more extensively raised in Perthshire than in any other part of Scotland, arising most probably from its being the raw material of the indigenous manufacture of the county. Potatoes and turnips are extensively cultivated, and of late years on the most improved methods. The pasture-farms in the higher parts of the county are large, and raise great numbers of sheep, chiefly of the black-faced kind. Other descriptions of live stock are not so much cultivated. Dairy farming does not form a prominent feature in the rural economy of this county. In some favoured spots orchards succeed well, many of them are very large, and their produce is highly celebrated. Perthshire is remarkable for the great extent and beauty of its woods. Of these, many are of natural wood, chiefly oak. But extensive plantations of various kinds of trees have been made during the last fifty years by several proprietors, especially by the late Duke of Atholl, whose planting operations have been carried on upon the most extensive scale, at once beautifying and enriching one of the finest parts of the county. To him Perthshire is indebted for the introduction of the larch, which has been [7:17:291]found singularly adapted to the climate and soil. The plantations of this tree have thriven amazingly, and are of great extent and value. Larch has been used in ship-building, instead of oak; but their relative value for such a purpose is not yet fully ascertained. In 1674 the valued rental of Perthshire was L.339,892 Scots; and in 1815 the annual value of assessed property amounted to L.555,552 sterling.

This county is particularly rich in splendid seats and mansions belonging to the great proprietors. Of these, the most remarkable are Dunira, Taymouth Castle, Dunkeld House, the Palace of Scone, Kinfauns Castle, Murthly House, Dupplin Castle, and Blair Castle. Castle Huntly and Blair Castle are fine specimens of the old baronial and castellated habitations of the ancient lords of the soil; and Doune Castle is considered as one of the finest ruins of its kind in Scotland. Perthshire is not remarkable for antiquities, secular or ecclesiastical. Druidical circles and Roman remains are found in various places. Of the former, one circle almost entire, called by the country people Standing Stanes, formerly existed at Craigmakerran, the property, we believe, of the guildry of Perth; but about twenty-five years ago it was barbarously destroyed, and the stones blasted for the purpose of being employed in the erection of a farm-steading. Before this act of Vandalism was committed, the circle in question, which stood on a projecting crag, about six miles from Perth, on the Isla road, was perhaps one of the most perfect of the kind in the kingdom. Of the latter, the camp or station at Ardoch, and that at Comrie, are well known, as well as the Roman road, which seems to have connected them. There is another at Delvin, which is scarcely less remarkable. The ruins of the cathedrals of Dunblane and Dunkeld are also in excellent preservation, though the architecture is by no means of the highest order. The tower of Abernethy, which has long puzzled the heads of antiquaries, is unfortunately decaying rapidly, as is also the fine old abbey of Culross.

Red deer are still numerous in Perthshire, and impart a feature of peculiar interest to its forest scenery. The deer-forest of Athole is said to contain 80,000 acres; and the number of the deer in the whole county is estimated at 6000, of which about 100 are annually killed. Harts are destroyed in the months of August and September, and hinds in January, the last month of the season. From several of the large proprietors having combined to preserve the deer, it is considered that their number must be greatly upon the increase. Feathered game of every description abounds in the upland district of Perthshire, and affords a rich treat to die sportsman. Many of the moors are let to sportsmen, and bring large sums annually. Salmon is amazingly plentiful, especially in the Tay, and is also found in the tributaries of that river. The fisheries on the Tay alone are understood to bring a rental of L.10,000 a year, and those on the Earn are likewise said to be productive. The export of salmon forms a considerable article of commerce, as is mentioned in the account of Perth.

The principal towns are Perth and Culross, which are royal burghs; Crieff, Callander, Kincardine, Doune, Comrie, Dunblane, Auchterarder, Dunkeld, and Blairgowrie. Of the latter class, the largest is Crieff, the population of which in 1831 amounted to nearly 5000. It is a chief seat of the linen manufacture, which is also the principal occupation of Blairgowrie and Auchterarder, with a population of about 8000 each. None of the other towns is very remarkable, if we except Comrie, which is celebrated for the frequency of earthquakes in its neighbourhood; Dunblane, for its mineral waters; and Doune, once a great Highland mart, for its manufactory of pistols. The villages are numerous, and many of them populous and thriving; but it is unnecessary to particularize them. The greater part of Coupar Angus is included in the county of Perth.

The manufacture of linen, as already mentioned, is the staple manufacture of Perthshire; but cotton goods are also produced to a considerable extent. Mills for spinning flax, bleachfields, and calico-printfields, are numerous; and there are some large establishments for spinning cotton-yarn at Stanley near Perth, and at Danston. Paper is likewise manufactured to a considerable extent; and oil-mills are to be found in various places. A great many shoes are made in Perth, and the tanning of leather is carried on to a considerable extent at Crieff and at Thornhill. Of agricultural produce, large quantities of sheep and black cattle from the upper districts are brought to the country markets and sold there. Wool is likewise an article of considerable sale. From the more fertile districts large quantities of grain are annually brought to market. Bark and timber, principally larch and oak, also form commercial articles of no small importance. The produce of its fisheries has already been noticed as being amongst the list of exports. Limestone, slate, freestone, marl, and marble, from the fine quarries of Glentilt, are also brought to market, although, from the difficulty of transport, to a much less extent than they would otherwise be done.

In a word, the leading characteristics of this noble county are the variety and diversity of its scenery and productions, and the picturesque manner in which these are frequently grouped together. Fertility and barrenness, the wildest alpine magnificence, and the most delicious scenes upon which the eye of the lover of natural beauty could desire to rest; the rugged mountain towering in rude majesty, and the sweet glen enlivened with sunshine or curtained with mist; the rich alluvial plains of England contrasting with the glories of Switzerland in a more softened and subdued form; these are the general and prominent features by which it is distinguished. To the tourist it presents attractions of almost every kind. It is a sort of shifting diorama, in which new scenes remarkable for new beauties continually present themselves to his view, leaving upon his mind the impression that the· last is, in some respects, the finest he has yet beheld. To the sportsman it opens a boundless field of amusement in its beautiful streams and its extensive moors, where the grouse, undeterred by the deadly hostility of man, renew their race but only to invite renewed destruction. In this county the naturalist has still much to explore; and after all the labours of Lord Webb Seymour, Professor Playfair, and some others, Glentilt alone would occupy a generation of mineralogists and geologists. In a word, this county, rich in every kind of natural beauty, and possessing many localities which have a deep historical interest attached to them, is not undeserving of the preeminence which has, by universal consent, been assigned to it, and merits a far larger share of attention than in the present article we have been able to bestow upon it.

The population of the county of Perth, in 1831, amounted to 142,894 persons, being an increase since 1821 of only 3844. The number of families was 31,749, and that of inhabited houses 23,809. Of the relative numbers employed in trade and agriculture we have no recent returns. The county sends a member to parliament, as does also Perth, the principal city. Culross, Queensferry, Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, and Stirling, unite in returning a third. The only change affecting this county made by the reform act, was enfranchising the city of Perth, which previously had only a fraction of a representative.