Ah, County Guy, the hour is nigh, The orange flower perfumes the bower, The lark, his lay who trilled all day, Breeze, bird and flower, confess the hour, The village maid steals through the shade, To beauty shy, by lattice high, The star of love, all stars above, Now reigns o'er earth and sky; And high and low the influence know- SCOTT. “Kilmeny, Kilmeny, where have you been? JAMES HOGG. BEAUT ciations that add attraction to its splendid natural advantages, the old City of Perth was full of interest to me. Tradition tells us that it was founded by the Romans during their occupation of Great Britain, and as this came to my mind I could not help drawing a comparison. I must apologize for likening the glorious Tay to the muddy yellow of the Tiber, the level expanse of the North Inch to the Campus Martius, and Perth to the City of the Seven Hills. My imagination failed me ere I had pictured to myself the helmed cohorts of Rome upon the plain. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat, then there came to me another picture -a picture of the tartan and plaid-and I knew that upon the broad Inch I was watching the battle Scott describes in his "Fair Maid of Perth." All about Perth are splendid points of vantage from some of which a panorama of nature unrolls on a colossal plan. Such a spot is the Wick of Baiglie, from the elevation of which I viewed the beautiful valley of the Tay-a green carpet stretching away into the distance, traversed by the lordly Tay wending its stately way down past Errol and Dundee, and by the Bell Rock of legend out into the North Sea. Up from the valley rise picturesque rocks veiled here and there with the rich foliage of forests that have never yet been threatened by the axe of the woodman. All along the margin of the river are the elegant mansions of Perth's richesse and away in the dim distance the Grampian hills look down upon all. Other famous vantage points are the Moncrieff and Kinnoul Hills, of the view from which I need only use the words of Pennant when he says "The Glory of Scotland." I might add to this description of Perth's natural advantages that the City itself is well built, and contains many handsome edifices. The faithfulness of the citizens to tradition and their admiration for the laurelled literary art of their native land is exampled by the handsome statues of Scott and Burns which have been erected out of honor to the two men who more than any others have given to those who are not Scottish to know Scotland and Scotchmen and to feel the great throb of the sturdy nation, the emblem of whose rugged character is the sturdy thistle. Among the great industries of Perth none is greater than the long established linen works of Messrs. The John Shields Co., Limited, who employ an immense number of hands. This institution was founded many years ago, and the founder, who was a popular magistrate of Perth, has long since gone to his reward. His sons have conducted the business since his demise and they have opened branches of the concern in London, Manchester, Glasgow and New York. Within a year of the present writing, owing to the great increase in business, an extensive addition has been made to the premises. At the time of my visit Mr. Robert Shields was a partner and is now the head of the firm, and I must digress for a moment to describe their magnificent residence Inch Rye Abbey where they enjoyed the privileges of salmon fishing in the Tay, accorded him as a mark of esteem by a neighboring nobleman. From Perth I drove behind a pair of handsome grays some seven miles when we came in sight of his massive residence, built after the style of the baronial castles and contained some thirty rooms. The road to the abbey is between the loch and a sylvan wood and the scenery is charming. The day after my arrival was the Queen's birthday and a party from Perth came to enjoy the hospitality of Mr. Shields who proved himself a noble entertainer and covered himself with credit by his complete understanding of the duties of a host. We enjoyed a sail on the C |
