PENTLAND (NEW).

PENTON, grand cataract on Liddel river, on boundary between Dumfriesshire and England, about 6 miles south-east of Langholm. It takes its name from a village on the English side.

PENWHERRY.

PERCETON.

PERCHHALL, partially-drained lake in Applegarth parish, Dumfriesshire.

PERCY, one of the Cheviots, in Morebattle parish, Roxburghshire.

PERK, hill, with cairns supposed to be memorials of Macbeth's fatal battle, in Lumphanan parish, Aberdeenshire.

PERSIE, quoad sacra parish, averagely about 63 miles north of Blairgowrie, Perthshire. It contains Ballintuim hamlet, with post office under Blairgowrie, and a lofty hill of its own name, with good medicinal spring ; and it has a church of 1785, and a public school with about 29 scholars. Pop. 715.

PERTH, city and four parishes in Perthshire. The city stands on the Tay, 39 miles by road, but 45 by railway, north-north-west of Edinburgh; is believed by some antiquaries to date from or before the Roman times, either on its present site or on one at influx of the Almond to the Tay ; was either founded or refounded about beginning of 13th century, and bore for some time the name of St. John's Town or St. Johnstone ; figured prominently, with eventful issues, throughout the wars of the Succession ; had, periodically or frequently, the status of the metropolis of Scotland, for a long time Srior to the reign of James in. ; was, as escribed in Sir Walter Scott's Fair Maid of Perth, the scene of a great judicial combat in the time of Robert ill. ; was also the scene, in 1437, of the murder of James I. ; in 1600, of the event known as the Gowrie conspiracy ; in 1623, of the burning of three women for alleged witch-craft ; in 1617 and 1632, of pompous demonstrations at visits of James VI. and Charles I. ; served as a centre of military operations by the Marquis of Montrose, Oliver Cromwell, the Chevalier St. George, and Prince Charles Edward ; gave the title of earl from 1605 to the family of Drummond, forfeited in 1746, and restored in 1853 ; was publicly visited by Queen Victoria in 1842, and became her stated halting-place in her journeys to and from the Highlands ; ranked long as the centre of traffic between the Lowlands and the Highlands ; ranks now as a seat of manufacture, a head port, a nexus of rail-way communication, a grand centre for tourists, a seat of justiciary courts, the political capital of Perthshire, and a burgh sending one member to Parliament ; publishes 3 weekly newspapers and 2 twice a week ; and has a head post office with all departments, a sub post office with money order and telegraph departments, a railway station with convergent lines from all parts of the kingdom, 8 banking offices, 8 principal hotels, many imposing public edifices, 7 Established churches, 5 Free churches, 4 United Presbyterian churches, Original Secession, Congregational, Evangelical Union, Baptist, Methodist, and Unitarian churches, an Episcopalian cathedral, 2 other Episcopalian places of worship, 2 Roman Catholic churches, 19 schools with capacity for 4933 scholars, and a number of important institutions. The burgh comprises the ancient city and modern environs on right bank of the Tay, the suburb of Bridgend on left bank, and small portions within Tibbermore and Scone parishes ; stands chiefly on low flat ground engirt round most of its circle by ornate hills ; embraces at its upper and lower extremities, contiguous to right bank of the river, two large public parks called Inches ; includes numerous villas and adornments, both on low outskirts and on overhanging braes ; enjoys in the adjacent reaches of the Tay's valley, in the contiguous hills of Moncrieff and Kinnoul, and in expanse of country for several miles around, most attractive environs, both abounding in rich close scenes, and commanding splendid distant views ; and exhibits within itself, in at once alignment, architecture, and amenity, a finer appearance than any other Scottish town except Edinburgh and Glasgow. A compact body, measuring about 4 furlongs by 3, intersected westward by spacious streets, and comprising all the ancient city, with numerous secondary streets, alleys, and lanes, lies between the two Inches ; two modern wings, including streets, terraces, and crescents, lie respectively north and south of that body ; a spacious, handsome street, begun to be formed in 1869, and serving partly as a fine promenade, extends along the Tay between the two wings ; and great improvements, in formation of another new street and in erection of numerous new buildings, were made in 1877 and subsequent years. The Municipal Buildings, on site of previous town hall, were erected in 1879 at a cost of about 12,000, and include a facsimile of a famous old tower. The County Buildings, on site of Gowrie House, adjacent to the river, were erected in 1808-20 at a cost of 32,000, and underwent great enlargement in 1866. The Convict Prison for Scotland, on plot of about 18 acres in the south-western outskirts, was erected in 1812 at a cost of 130,000 for French prisoners of war ; underwent change in 1841 at a cost of 28,000 to adapt it to its present use ; and was enlarged in 1858, in some subsequent years, and again in 1880-81. The County and City prisons, behind the County Buildings, are an extensive pile with high-walled enclosure. The railway station, in the south-western outskirts, is a very large structure with Tudor front and commodious arrangements, and includes elegant refreshment rooms. The railway viaduct across "the Tay on the line to Dundee was completed in 1864 at a cost of more than 24.000, describes the segment of a circle about 1180 feet long, and includes on its north side a pedestrian bridge. The carriage bridge, connecting the city-proper with Bridgend, was erected in 1766-72 at a cost of 26,631, underwent improvement in 1870-71 at a cost of 3060, and is a ten-arched structure 880 feet long. The water reservoir, on site of Cromwell's citadel adjacent to the Tay, was constructed in 1830 at a cost of 13,600; and an extension of the waterworks was completed in 1880 at a cost of about 30,000. St. John's Established church, within an open area in the city-proper, is a cruciform edifice, mostly ancient but partly modern ; has a very old steeple, a Norman arch, and a diversity of Gothic feature ; had, in the Eomish times, a very great number of altars ; and is now partitioned into three parochial churches, East, Middle, and West. St. Paul's parochial church was erected in 1807 at a cost of 7000. St. John's "West Free church was erected in 1871 at a cost of about 8000, and has a steeple 215 feet high. St. Leonard's and St. Stephen's Free churches were erected in or after 1877. The North United Presbyterian church, partly on site of a previous church, was erected in 1880 at a cost of more than 7000. St. Ninian's Episcopalian Cathedral was partly erected in 1850, with design to be completed as a cruciform structure. The public seminaries were erected in 1837 at a cost of 6000, and have capacity for 1039 scholars. Provost Marshall's monument is a circular dome-capped edifice of 1824, and contains the Perth public library, and the Literary and Antiquarian Society's museum. A new public hall to contain accommodation for 1200 persons, and to be adjoined by lecture-room, scientific library, and good museum, was projected in 1877. Other monuments than Marshall's are the late Prince Consort's, the poet Burns', and Sir Walter Scott's. The city and county infirmary was erected in 1837, and treats about 1590 patients a year. The lunatic asylum was erected in 1827, and extended in 1834, at a cost of more than 40,000. Portions of a strong ancient wall, supposed to be that which enclosed the ancient city, were discovered at digging the foundation for the new public hall in beginning of 1880 ; and part of a fosse, thought to have existed before the time of Malcolm Can-more, was contiguous. An ancient chapel, part of another ancient chapel, a number of ancient dwelling-houses, and vestiges of the localities noticed in Sir Walter Scott's Fair Maid of Perth, are still extant. The harbour was a few years ago improved at a cost of 60,000. The vessels belonging to the port at end of 1879 were 25 sailing vessels of 1969 tons, and 1 steam vessel of IS tons. The arrivals in 1879 were 83 British vessels of 5543 tons, and 32 foreign vessels of 4054 tons ; the departures 92 British vessels of 6204 tons, and 34 foreign vessels of 4167 tons. Real property of the burgh in 1880-81, 117,983. Pop. 28,949. The four parishes are East, Middle, St. Paul, and West ; and a quoad sacra parish, that of St. Leonard's, consists of parts of the East and the West. The whole aggregately measure 4 miles in length, 2 miles in extreme breadth, and 3658 acres in area. Real property of the land-ward parts in 1880-81, 6207. The Middle and St. Paul lie wholly in the city. Pop. 4902 and 3009. The West also lies almost all in the city. Pop., quoad civilia, 6192 ; quoad sacra, 3983. The East includes part of the city, comprises nearly all the land-ward parts, and contains the villages of Dovecotland, Tulloch, Craigie, Cherrybank, Pitheavlis, Craigend, and Friarton. Pop., quoad civilia, 12,102 ; quoad sacra, 10,720. The surface, in a general view, lies westward from the Tay ; consists largely of rich plain ; includes, in the south-east, a part of Moncrieff hill ; and is diversified in the interior by numerous swelling ridges. Upwards of two-thirds are fertile arable land, and about 750 acres of the other third are under wood. A United Presbyterian church is at Craigend ; and public schools are at Craigend and Cherrybank.