fubjects of natural history, and other materials fuitable to its original defign, it has not yet been deemed neceffary to pub of its tranfactions *. ish any The principal taverns, hotels, and coffee-houses in Perth are regularly supplied with the London and provincial news-papers and literary journals. The fine arts advance apace. Print-shops, mufic-fhops, and bookfellers fhops, appear in almost every freet. Of the latter, many carry on trade to a confiderable extent; and not a few keep circulating libraries. Thefe improvements are highly characteristic of the times; -and the inhabitants of Perth are rapidly on the advance in refinement of manners and the elegant blandishments of fashionable fociety. It may afford matter of curious information to exhibit a trait of the inhabitants of this city two hundred years ago, in contraft with the manners of those of the present day. Soon after the Reformation, when profane dramas were publicly represented, it appears from a record, dated June 3d, 1589, that there were a company of comedians then at Perth, who found .it neceffary to apply to the confiftory for a licence to perform plays; as an act of Affembly had paffed in the year 1574-5, prohibiting the people, under pain of church cenfure, from reforting to fuch profane exhibitions †. The words of the record are as follow: "Perth, June 3d, 1589. The minifters and "elders give licence to plai the plai, with conditions that no fwearing, banning, nor onie feurility fall be fpoken, which "would be a fcandal to our religion which we profefs, and for "an evil example unto others. Alfwa that nothing fall be દંડ Stat. Acc. vol. xviii. p. 538. Campbell's Introduction to the Hiftory of Poetry in Scotland, p. 353. "added "added to what is in the register of the plai itfelf. If any one "who plais fal do in the contrarie, he fal be wardit and make "his public repentance (i.e. be imprisoned, and afterwards appear in church, to be rebuked in the public place of repent"ance). The clergy of the present day, who ftill view the ftage through optics that greatly magnify the danger arising from its immoral tendency, are lefs rigid in their conduct towards it; and players occafionally, in their peregrinations through the north, remain in Perth for a confiderable length of time; a proof of their being kindly entertained, encouraged, and rewarded. It is faid, "that the manners of the people, till long after the reformation of religion, were exceedingly licentious †" in Perth. Church-discipline, however, seems to have checked that degree of unreftrained indulgence, imbibed, no doubt, by the laity from the evil example which the clergy of the religious houses, formerly fo numerous in that city, exhibited in their diffolute and hypocritical lives. "Now I fee that God's judgments are 'just," said an aged matron when beholding the palace and abbey of Scone on fire, (27th June 1599,) " and that no man is "able to fave, where he will punish. This place, fince I re"member, hath been nothing but a den of whoremongers: it "is incredible how many wives have been adulterated, and * James VI. on the 8th of November 1599, annulled the act of affembly 1574-5; and he defired Elizabeth to lend him a company of comedians, to whom he gave licence to act: thus the drama was fuffered to proceed, north of the Tweed. See Guthrie's Hift. of Scot. vol. viii. p. 358. + Stat. Acc. vol. xviii. p. 524. "From Oct. 7th, 1577, to October 15th, 1578, there were fixty-feven perfons punished for having children otherwife than by lawful marriage." 3 B ❝ virgins "virgins deflowered, by the filthy beafts who have been foftered "in this den; but especially by that wicked man called the Bishop. If all men knew as much as I, they would praise "God, and no one would be offended*!" But the maxim inculcated on the minds of our Scotifh reformers, "Pull down the "neft, and the rooks will forfake it," feemed fupreme in all their undertakings, which were as effectual as they were summary, and which characterized their abhorrence of a system in itself degrading to human nature, and from its immoral tendency threatening to fap the finer feelings of the foul. Hence, in the first paroxyfms of intemperate zeal, the blind enthusiasm which led to the overthrow of idolatrous worship, was unable to distinguish between the real objects of vengeance, and those which were flightly connected with the system itself; and, as an extreme generally produces its oppofite, fo it foon happened that the laity, giving themselves up to their spiritual guides in the reformed religion, funk from that bold and daring temperament, to that moroseness and puritanical air which, till lately, characterized the inhabitants of North Britain, and in no fmall degree thofe of Perth. A manifeft alteration, however, and, to their honour be it mentioned, has taken place among the citizens of that town. Within these few years, a degree of cleanliness and neatness in dress, and an engaging sprightliness and vivacity of mien, have been difplayed among the more wealthy, and are rapidly extending to the industrious claffes of the inhabitants of this ancient feat of trade and commerce. There are no gaming-houses in Perth, and houses of bad fame were unknown till barracks were erected in its neighbourhood; Knox's Hift. as quoted in Cant's Notes. Mufes Threnodie, vol. i. p. 125. fince 371 fince which period, the change that this neceffary fyftem has caufed over the whole united kingdoms, is but too manifeft in this town and its vicinity. In order to form a juft idea of the population of Perth, it may be neceffary to obferve, that in the year 1562 the number of its inhabitants was estimated at between five and fix thoufand in the year 1755, the number was reckoned to be nine thousand and nineteen: and in the year 1796, the number in the town and parish was computed to be nineteen thousand eight hundred and seventy-one *. Though Perth lies low, it is remarkably healthy, the air having a free circulation through every street and lane in all directions. Intermittents are hardly known, and the diseases incident to people in fimilar situations make their appearance but feldom in this quarter. Perth has more than once discovered a tenacious spirit of political as well as religious reformation. When, in the year 1784, a borough reform was keenly agitated, the citizens of this town feemed zealous in the cause t. Again, in the year See Stat. Acc. vol. xviii. p. 524-527. +"The borough of Perth (fays an author) is governed by a town-council confifting of fourteen guildry men or merchants; and twelve craftsmen. The fourteen guild or merchant counsellors are felf-elected; each puts a guildry man of his own naming in the leet with himself; and the council elect one of the two. That being the cafe, it is no difficult matter to fay who will be elected. The counsellor has it in his power, even in the cafe of party work or dislike, to infure his re-election. He names perhaps a ftreet-raker, or some low character, between whom and himself there is no alternative. Or if at any time a man in better station is put on the leet, it is within that person's knowledge; and is done, because, perhaps, it is known that he would not accept. In no inftance is a council-man, wishing to keep his seat, disappointed." See Hiftorical Account of the internal Government of the Borough of Perth, fubmitted to the Committee of Convention. See alfo Edin. Mag. vol. ii. p. 382. 1792, the fame fpirit, that for a time feemed afleep, awoke, and fhook off its drowfinefs: but rufhing heedlessly into measures but ill arranged, and without any determinate object in view, mifcarriage and difgrace were the vexatious fruits of this vain attempt at political reformation. The departure from Perth to Edinburgh may be taken by two different routes. The one, leading directly thither, is by Kinrofs and the Queen's Ferry; the other, which is more circuitous, is by Dundee, St. Andrew's, and along the east coast of Fife to Kinghorn; thence across the Frith of Forth to Leith and Edinburgh. Should the traveller incline to prolong his excurfion along the left bank of the Tay, to Dundee, St. Andrew's, &c. he proceeds, after croffing the river, by turning to the left, through the village of Bridge-end. This village, which may now be confidered as part of Perth, extending its dimenfions on the opposite bank of the river, has, fince the prefent bridge was erected, rifen to a degree of opulence and fubftantial elegance correfpondent to the improved state of the agriculture, trade, and commerce of the town and country adjacent. The turnpike roads leading from the diftricts of the Stormont, Strathmore, and the Carfe of Gowrie, meet in this village; of course, a confiderable trade is carried on here, independent of its connection with the town oppofite. Hence its rapid advancement in comfortable and elegant buildings, extending in the direction of the roads leading to thofe diftricts, whence, in great measure, its affluence is derived. About a quarter of a mile down the Tay from Bridge-end, on an eminence clofe in upon the river, to the right, we com mand |