PERTH, the capital of the county of that name, is an agreeable, populous town, situated 20 miles within land, on the south bank of the river Tay. It was otherwise called St Johnston's, from a church dedicated to St John, as the patron of the place. It is a royal borough, second in dignity to the metropolis, the seat of a large presbytery, and gave the title of Earl to the family of Drummond, which is now forfeited. Perth, in the reign of Edward I. of England, was possessed by the English, who secured it with fortifications: but, after an obstinate resistance, they were expelled by Robert Bruce. In the year 1715, the rebels made it a place of arms, and retired to it, after the battle of Dumblaine; but they were in a little time dislodged by the duke of Argyle, and retreated northwards with the pretender. The town is populous and handsome; the streets are well paved, and tolerably clean at all times; and the houses, tho' not stately, make a very decent appearance. Here is a large church, an old palace that belonged to the earls of Gowrie, but now devolved to the crown; a stately town-house, several other public edifices, and houses belonging to gentlemen. A monastery of Carthusians was here established by king James I. of Scotland, who lost his life on the very spot, by the treachery of Athol and his accomplices. The town was anciently provided with a stone-bridge over the river, which an inundation swept away; but a new and very fine one has lately been built.
This town has but one parish, which has two churches, besides meetings for separatists, who are very numerous. One church, which belonged to a monastery, is very ancient: not a vestige of the latter is now to be seen; for the disciples of Knox made a general desolation of every edifice that had given shelter to the worshippers of the church of Rome: it being one of his maxims, to pull down the nests, and then the rooks would fly away.
The flourishing state of Perth is owing to two accidents: the first, that of numbers of Cromwell's wounded officers and soldiers choosing to reside here, after he left the kingdom, who introduced a spirit of industry among the people: the other cause was the long continuance of the earl of Mar's army here in 1715, which occasioned vast sums of money being spent in the place. But this town, as well as all Scotland, dates its prosperity from the year 1745; the government of this part of Great Britain having never been settled till a little after that time.
The trade of Perth is considerable. It exports annually 150,000 l. worth of linen, from 24,000 to 30,000 bolts of wheat and barley to London and Edinburgh, and about the same in cured salmon. That fish is taken there in vast abundance; 3000 have been caught in one morning, weighing, one with another, 16 pounds; the whole capture, 48,000 pounds. The fishery begins at St Andrew's day, and ends August 26th, old style. The rents of the fisheries amount to 3000 l. per annum. Smelts come up this river in May and June.
There has been in these parts a very great fishery of
Pertinax of pearl, got out of the fresh-water muscles. From the year 1761 to 1764, 10,000. worth were sent to London, and sold for 10s. to 1 l. 16s. per ounce. Mr Pennant was told that a pearl has been taken there that weighed 33 grains. But this fishery is at present exhausted, from the avarice of the undertakers: it once extended as far as Loch-Tay.