332 PERTH PERTHES urb Bridgend. Further down, the Perth and Dundee railway crosses on a handsome stone and iron bridge opened in 1864. The town was once surrounded by walls, of which no traces now remain. It is laid out with consid- erable regularity, with spacious streets crossing at right angles and lined with handsome free- stone houses. There are several terraces and crescents and two fine public parks. Among the prominent public edifices are the ancient church of St. John, the county buildings, and the penitentiary, which is the general prison for Scotland. The town has a theatre, public library, and museum of the antiquarian and natural history society. The principal manu- facture is colored cotton goods, and there are several ship yards. The Tay is navigable to this port for vessels of 300 tons, and about 400 enter and clear annually. The salmon fishery is important, Perth sending 250 tons annually _ Perth, Scotland. to London alone. Perth is supposed to be of Roman origin, was made a burgh in 1106 and fortified in 1210, was the capital of Scotland till 1437, and has been the scene of some re- markable events in the history of that coun- try. It was captured by Edward I. in 1298, by Montrose in 1644, and by Cromwell in 1651. It was occupied by Dundee in 1689, and by the highlanders in 1715 and 1745. PERTH, a city of Australia, capital of the colony of West Australia, picturesquely situ- ated on the Swan river, 12 m. above Free- mantle at its mouth, and 1,700 m. W. N. W. of Melbourne; pop. in 1871, 5,007, including the military and convicts at the depot. It is the seat of an Anglican and a Roman Catholic bishop. The principal buildings are the city hall, an imposing structure entirely built by convict labor, a mechanics' institute, the gov- ernor's palace, and the pensioners' barracks. It had two newspapers in 1873. Perth was constituted a city in 1856. PERTH AMBOY, a city and port of entry of Middlesex co., New Jersey, at the head of Rar- itan bay and at the mouth of Raritan river, 36 m. N. E. of Trenton and 21 m. S. W. of New York; pop. in 1870, 2',861; in 1875, about 3,500. It is opposite the S. end of Staten isl- and, with which it is connected by a ferry. A railroad bridge and ferry connect it with South Amboy on the right bank of the Rari- tan, whence there is communication with Phila- delphia by the Camden and Amboy railroad. It has communication with New York by the
- Pennsylvania, New Jersey Central, New York
and Long Branch, and Staten Island railroads. | The Easton and Perth Amboy railroad, nearly | completed, runs to the coal regions of Pennsyl- | vania, and is intended to make Perth Amboy a large coal depot. The harbor is good and easily accessible to large vessels. The city con- tains six churches, a large public hall, a state bank, a young ladies' boarding institute, a cork factory, and a stoneware pottery. Fire brick is manu- factured here, and has the reputation of being the best in the United States. Kao- lin and other fire clays are exported in considerable quanti- ties. The shipping of the port, April 1, 1875, amounted to 36,800 tons. Perth Amboy, or rather the point on which the city stands, was called by the Indians Ambo. It was set- tled about 1680 by a colony from Scot- land, who named it Perth in honor of the earl of Perth, one of the proprietors ; but the Indian name was so much used that finally the place took both names. It received a city charter in 1718, and for a time was the commercial rival of New York. It was at one period the capital of East Jersey. Wil- liam Franklin, the last royal governor of New Jersey, was seized here by the patriots in 1776. PERTHES. I. Friedrich Christoph, a German publisher, born in Rudolstadt, April 21, 1772, died in Gotha, March 18, 1843. He was early employed in book stores in Leipsic and Hamburg, where in 1796 he established him- self on his own account, and Johann Hein- rich Besser became his partner in 1798. The house attained great importance in Germa- ny, but suffered during the French occupation of Hamburg, his patriotism involving him in great difficulties. In 1822 he founded a house in Gotha, leaving to his partner the business in Hamburg, which is still continued under the name of Perthes-Besser. He rendered great
