the surprise and pleasure with which they discovered a resemblance between the two rivers. In the present day, however, the exclamation would not be complimentary; the Tay gains exceedingly by comparison with the yellow' Tiber, which has scarcely the volume of one of the tributaries to the former, unless when swollen by continued rains. In transparency, too, no less than in volume, the Caledonian river has greatly the advantage. By a sudden inundation of the Tay, in the reign of William the Lyon, the ancient city of Perth was overthrown in a night. The royal palace shared the same calamity, and with that, the king's infant son, the nurse, and fourteen other persons, perished. * The hill of Kinnoull is a point of view much resorted to by strangers; while the antiquary and patriot find an interesting pilgrimage among the "tumuli of Luncarty"—the celebrated battle-field of that name. This victory obtained over the Danes, in 980, gave name and title to the noble family of Hay. The battle was decisive; of the enemy, according to tradition, those who escaped the sword were drowned in the river. A bleaching field and corn lands now occupy the scene of battle. The classic reader will recall the spirited lines of the poet Johnston on this subject. At a short distance, on the Almond, a tributary of the Tay, is the scene of the pathetic legend of "Bessy Bell and Mary Gray,"-a scene which, independently of its associations, is highy picturesque. It is in the demesne of Lord Lynedoch, a circumstance which gives it an additional attraction to the patriotic tourist. Pitkaithly, so long a fashionable watering-place, is also in the immediate neighbourhood, • For the interesting legend, the reader may consult the family history of Kinnoull, descendants of the Scottish Cincinnatus, who, like his Roman prototype, left the plough to rout an army. Dupplin is also the scene of a sanguinary conflict in 1333, by which, for a time, the cause of Bruce yielded to that of Baliol. "Quo ruitis, cives? Heia! hosti obvertite vultus! Non pudet infami vertere terga fugâ? Hostis ego vobis; aut ferrum vertite in hostem. Hic Decios agnosce tuos magnæ æmula Romæ, Aut prior hac; aut te his Scotia major adhuc." These young ladies, according to the fondly cherished tradition, were celebrated for their beauty, and sincerely attached as friends. Their families had rank and property in the country, and lived on a footing of mutual intimacy. In the plague of 1645, which committed dreadful havoc in the population of this district, these young ladies, in the hope of avoiding infection by entire seclusion from society, retired to a lonely spot, called the "Burn Bræ." Hither, however, they were traced by a young gentleman in the neighbourhood, who had long entertained a romantic passion for both, but without being able to decide which was the most beautiful. The consequences of this visit were fatal. Having himself caught the SCONE. ASSASSINATION OF JAMES I. 23 and equally famous for the efficacy of its spring, and the picturesque scenery by which it is surrounded.* Scone, with its numerous relics of antiquity, and long and intimate associations with royalty, has attractions peculiarly its own. The princely edifice which now occupies the spot-long consecrated as the residence of kings, and the sanctuary of religion-is an object of the first attention to every stranger. Of its internal arrangements and decorations we cannot here enter into any detail; but may simply state that, after having visited the finest palaces in Europe, we can still find much to please and interest us in that of Scone. Its position, on a fine terrace, gives it an imposing aspect when seen from the river. In the short space of seven years, the patriot Wallace, Edward I., and Robert Bruce, were severally resident at Scone. In 1715 the Pretender found it sufficient to accommodate a numerous suite, and filled its courts with the splendour of royalty. Preparations, too, were making for his coronation, but were interrupted by an unwelcome visit from a party of the King's horse. The earl of Mansfield has added several recent embellishments. In the church of the abbey of Scone was preserved the famous stone which was said to have first served the patriarch Jacob for a pillow, and, afterwards transported into Spain, was used as a seat of justice by Gothalus, a contemporary with Moses. From Spain it found its way to Dunstaffnage, and there continued as the coronation-chair, till the reign of Kenneth II., who removed it to Scone, where every Scottish sovereign was crowned upon it till the year 1296, when Edward I. in order, it is said, to defeat an ancient prophecy,† had it removed to Westminster Abbey, where it now remains an indispensable requisite in coronation ceremonies. We now return to the historical recollections of Perth. Of these the more prominent features are the tragic death of James I. and the Gowry Conspiracy, which we shall briefly relate as they have been recorded by the best authorities. Sensible how deficient his long imprisonment had made him in the knowledge of real life, James I. was most anxious in his endeavours to render himself disease, the unhappy youth communicated it to the lovely friends, who soon fell victims to its malignity. They were buried in one grave, on the banks of the Almond; the spot has been enclosed, and from its romantic situation, and the melancholy circumstances of the story, is a favourite pilgrimage among lovers, and the "poetical spirits" of the place. This water is composed principally of muriate of soda and muriate of lime, with a slight trace of sulphate and carbonate of lime. In an English pint of the water, it contains about thirty-five grains of the different salts. The effects are similar to those already mentioned of the spring at Dunblane. "Ni fallat fatum, Scoti quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem." This prediction was supposed to have been verified when James VI. ascended the English throne. acquainted with the character, habits, and pursuits of all classes of his people. For this purpose he went often in disguise among them, visiting their firesides, mingling in their sports, observing their wants, and redressing their wrongs. He was thus enabled to dictate many excellent laws, for the security of the subject and the encouragement of industry; and, by conciliating the affections of the people, seemed to have established his throne on a basis which no private hostility could shake. The fate of James I., however, like that of Henry IV. of France, and Gustavus of Sweden, furnishes a striking proof that it is not in the height of his popularity that a prince has least to fear. In the thirteenth year after his return to Scotland, a conspiracy was formed against his life. At the head of that deadly faction, was Walter, earl of Athol, one of the king's nearest kinsmen. The chief confederates were Robert Stewart, the earl's grandson, and Sir Robert Graham, of Strathearn, to whom James had given mortal offence by reannexing to the crown certain property of which Graham had unlawfully possessed himself during the regency. Unattended even by a body guard, and confiding in the love of his subjects, the king was residing at this time within the sacred walls of the Carthusian monastery, at Scone, which he had founded and endowed. Graham, who had been for some time heading a band of outlaws in the adjacent mountains, seized the occasion, and brought down a party by night to the neighbourhood of the monastery. Seconded in this unhallowed purpose by accomplices, and unsuspected or unobserved by all others, he quietly gained possession of the outer gates, and finally of the interior passages. The first intimation which the king received of his danger was from his cup-bearer, Walter Straton, who, on leaving the chamber, in which the king and queen were at supper, to bring some wine, was astonished to find the passage crowded with armed strangers, who answered his cry of alarm by striking him dead on the spot. The voice reached the royal chamber-a rush of the assassins followed; and Catharine Douglas, one of the queen's maids of honour, springing forward to bolt the outer door of the apartment, found to her dismay that the bar had been clandestinely removed. In this moment of surprise and consternation, reckless of her own life, she thrust her feeble arm into the staple to supply its place. But this noble intrepidity could not for a moment retard the sanguinary band. The last frail barrier which heroic beauty could interpose, was crushed in an instant; and, with no farther obstacle to check their purpose, the ruffians with drawn swords, and ferocious impatience, rushed forward upon the king. Patrick Dunbar, brother of the earl of March, was cut down while nobly interposing his sword and strength in defence of his sovereign. The |