rigour of the cold. To palliate thefe proceedings, the neceffity of
obftrufting the inarch of the King’s forces towards Perth, was
pleaded : and that the Pretender, on his flight from that city, left
in the hands of General Gordon, for the ufe of the fufferers, a large
fum of money, with a letter to the Duke of Argyle, requefting a
proper diftribution.
Go through Dinin, and reach Dupplin at modit.
Ride to lee the ruins of a great Cairn on the road fide, about a
mile north of Dupplin, which had been lately demolifhed. On
removing the ftones, were difcovered at the bottom a great number
of chefts, whofe dimenfions were two feet eight by two feet
two, every one conliiting of five flags ; forming four fides and a
lid. In all excepting one were bones, and mixed with them in
fome of the chefts were round perforated bodies, which I fufpeftto
have been Druidical beads; there were befides numbers of rings,
heart-ihaped trinkets, and others of a flat and oblong form, all
made of a coarfe glafs.
Ba™ kT,B- At a fma11 diftance from this place is the plain of Pibbir-mm,
where the Marquis of ALontrofe gained a fignal victory over the
Covenanters, with an inferior army of half-armed highlanders and
Irijh. I f ever God fpake word of truth out of my mouth, fays one of
the enthufiaftic divines to his friends, I promife you in his namt
ajfured viblory this day : but he was poflefled with a lying ipirit;
for two thoufand of their flock fell in the field, and two thoufand
more were taken prifoners. Tradition records a barbarous fuper-
ftition of the Irifh troops, who that morning put to death an innocent
herdfman, they happened to meet, from the notion that victory
would declare itfelf for the party which firft drew blood.
" f "■ - . " - Reach
\ Reach the church of ‘Tibbir-moor, which takes its name from a
¿holy well, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This parilh was fome-
Ljme the refidence of the Biihop of Dunkeld. Biihop Galfred died
here in 1249 ; and Biihop Sinclair in 1337*. The laft re-built and
leftored the church of St. Serf, on the north fide of the water of
milmond, once the chief of this pariih; but, as report goes, was
a fte rw a rd s .deferted on account of a child of Lord Ruthven’s being
frowned in the river, in returning from being baptized.
K Below the minifter’s houfe is a rhomboid intrenchment, called
fie Ward: but there is not the leaft tradition about the defign of
it. A little farther is a high copped Tumulus or mount, ftyled the
ground Law, or court hill, fuch places being in thefe parts generally
fuppofed to have been the feats of juftice.
■ At a fmall diftance from hence arrive at the high banks above
the river Almond, which here waters the plain that extends to Perth,
land falls into the Pay, about a mile above that city. Near this
place was feated the antient Bertha, which Boethius afierts had been
the refidence of the Scottijb kings.- Here, fays he, Kenneth exer-
cifed fevere juftice on the great Banditti-f. This place, fays Bu-
%hanan\, was befieged by the Danes before the battle of Loncarty
and this place, fays Boethius1], was totally deftroyed by a flood in
1210, and the city re-built on the fpot where the prefent Perth
®:ands. Notwithftanding we muft deny that fadt § ; yet there are
»not wanting evidences of Bertha having once been of confiderable
fflote. The tide of the Pay, in former times, reached this place ;
* Mills’s Lives o f the Biihops o f Dunkeld, M. S. f L ib . X L p. 227.
t Lib . V I . c. 3 1 . [I L ib . XIII. p. 278. § See p. 78.
P 2 an
B e r t h a .