Dundee

Dundee, a royal and parliamentary burgh and port in Forfarshire, on the N. shore of the Firth of Tay, and about 12 miles from 1he German Ocean. It is an ancient town, and is said to have been called Alectum, but the first mention of its existence is in a deed of about 1200 A.D. William the Lion made it a royal burgh, and here Wallace was born and began his struggle for independence.

Dundee was twice taken by the English in the reign of Edward I., again in that of Richard II., and a fourth time under Edward VI. Adopting with fervour the principles of the Reformation, it was sacked by Montrose in 1645 and by Monk in 1651, when a sixth of the inhabitants were put to the sword, and an immense amount of plunder was carried away. Though it then ranked as the third town in Scotland for population and higher still for wealth and strength, its great prosperity only dates back a century, when steam-power was first applied to the spinning and weaving of flax, hemp, and jute. Other sources of wealth are whale-fishing, shipbuilding, leather-dressing, boot-making, and confectionery, the factories of Messrs. Keiller and Sons being among the largest in the kingdom for the production of jam and marmalade. The clocks cover an area of 35 acres. Most of the antique public buildings have disappeared, but the Old Steeple, restored by Sir G. Scott, Dudhope Castle, now converted into barracks, the old Custom House, and a part of the venerable walls, from which Wishart the martyr preached in 1544, still remain. Among modern structures are the Town House by Adam, the Albert Institute (Gothic), by Sir G. Scott, the High School, by Angus, the Royal Arch, commemorating the visit of the Queen in 1844, the Royal Infirmary (Tudor), the Morgan Hospital, the College and the free library. There is a fine esplanade on the river, and half-a-dozen public parks, of which the chief are named after Baxter and Balgay. The water supply derived from Loch Lintrathen is excellent. The North British and Caledonian Railways formerly approached the town by a circuitous route, but in 1878 the famous Tay Bridge was opened. Next year this costly work was destroyed during a storm, a terrible loss of life ensuing. A more secure viaduct now spans the estuary, and forms one of the noblest monuments of engineering skill.