182 



INVERNESS. 



Public 

 buildings 



luttrom. higher than it is now ; but the roof and upper story 

 having been injured by an unfortunate and fatal ex- 

 plosion of gun-powder in 1800, both were taken down, 

 and a new roof put on. The Royal Academy, situated 

 in New-street, is a neat plain building, divided into 

 apartments for the different classes ; and in the centre 

 of the first floor is the large hall, also devoted to the 

 purposes of a library. At the one end of this room is 

 a very fine picture of the nativity by an Italian artist. 

 This seminary was originally established by the town, 

 aided by liberal subscriptions from various parts of the 

 world, where natives of Inverness, or those interested 

 in its prosperity, were to be found. It is now a very 

 flourishing institution, where the languages, and the 

 first principles of the different sciences, are very suc- 

 cessfully taught. A regular .salary is given to a teacher 

 of. Gaelic. There are seven masters, one of whom acts 

 as rector. The number of scholars varies from 200 

 to 300. There are two sessions in the year, one in 

 spring and the other in autumn, each of which is con- 

 cluded by a public examination, where prizes are bestow- 

 ed on meritorious scholars. The general management of 

 this establishment is given by its charter to a court of 

 directors, consisting of the magistrates for the time be- 

 ing. All subscribers of 100, who, with their heirs, 

 are perpetual directors ; and donors of , 50, who are 

 directors for life ; and, in addition to these, five gen- 

 tlemen are annually chosen by the commissioners of 

 supply. There are other private academies for the in- 

 struction of boys and girls, and one public school for 

 young ladies, under the superintendance of the magis- 

 trates. The royal infirmary is a very handsome and 

 extensive modern building, pleasantly situated on the 

 western bank of the river, within a quarter of a mile of 

 the town. It was built by public subscription, aided 

 by parochial collections in the northern counties. Its 

 funds, which are very respectable, are assisted by cha- 

 ritable donations, and by contributions from parish 

 churches. Its managers consist of the magistrates, mi- 

 nisters, and medical practitioners of Inverness, and 

 the sheriff 1 of the county ; also, of subscribers of 50 at 

 once, or of 5 annually. The medical gentlemen at- 

 tend the hospital alternately, for three months each. 

 There are also an apothecary and surgeon in constant 

 attendance. Patients are admitted from all the neigh- 

 bouring counties, if recommended by a clergyman, or 

 other respectable person, and are cured gratis, unless 

 when in a condition to afford remuneration, in which 

 case they are made to pay something for food and me- 

 dicines, which goes to the funds of the institution. One 

 part of the building is devoted to the reception of in- 

 sane persons, who are kept in wards detached from the 

 others. The building is capable of accommodating 40 

 or 50 patients at once, exclusive of the apartments for 

 the attendants. The internal regulations have lately 

 undergone very considerable improvement. There is 

 a neat little theatre in this town, frequently opened for 

 dramatic performances. The inns and hotels are ex- 

 cellent, and are well frequented. Inverness being the 

 thoroughfare to the more northern counties, in the sum- 

 iner season they are filled with strangers, who come 

 to visit the splendid scenery in the neighbourhood. 

 The shops are numerous and handsome, and the whole 

 town has an air of cheerfulness and cleanliness, in which 

 List respect, though formerly very deficient, it has been 

 lately much improved. 



The remains of the ancient castle of Inverness, though 

 originally of importance, are now very trifling. They 



are situated on the western part of a green hill, rising Inverness. 

 over the river a little above the bridge. On.the site of T Y "7T' 

 these ruins once stood the castle, in wh^ch King Dun- Antl 1 uiues - 

 can is supposed to have been murdered by Macbeth. 

 The fortress of the usurper stood on the eastern extre- 

 mity of the hill ; it was razed by Malcolm Canmore in 

 detestation of his father's murderer, and the more mo- 

 dern castle was afterwards erected by him. This was 

 occupied in 1715 by the officers of the royal army, hav- 

 ing been repaired, and barracks and a rampart added 

 to it ; but it was destroyed in 1745 by the rebels. At 

 the junction of the river with the sea, stands the re- 

 mains of a fort erected by Cromwell, on the site, and 

 partly with the materials, of an old monastery of Do- 

 minicans, or Black Friars, founded in the 13th centu- 

 ry by Alexander II. The fort was a regular pentagon, 

 with bastions, ramparts, and wet ditches, a covered 

 way and glacis. The whole incloses four acres of ground, 

 and might have held 2000 men, and 400 horses. It 

 was nearly demolished by Charles II. in 1682, and has 

 since fallen completely to decay, nothing now remain- 

 ing but the vestiges of the ramparts. The garden of 

 the Dominican monastery is now the glebe of one of 

 the ministers, and the site of the church is a small bu- 

 rial place. The principal burying place of the town 

 and parish is the chapel yard, an inclosure of about six 

 acres, on the east side of Church-street. 



In the sixth century, Inverness was the capital of History. 

 the Pictish kingdom ; when St. Columba left Icolm- 

 kill, and came to the Pictish court, ad oslium Nessa, in 

 order to convert Brudteus II. to Christianity. The first 

 burgh charter was granted to the town by Malcolm 

 Canmore, (then residing here,) in the year 1067- It 

 afterwards had charters from King William the Lion, 

 in 1175, and from Alexander, David, James I. and 

 Queen Mary. The last charter it received was from 

 King James VI. in 1591, ratifying all former grants, 

 and, amongst other immunities, appointing a market 

 twice a week, with eight free fairs yearly. In 1310, 

 Inverness was taken by Robert Bruce. In 1645, Mon- 

 trose defeated Colonel Urrey near the to.wn. In 1649, 

 Colonels Middleton and Monro seized it for Charles 

 II., but were soon driven away by the Parliament Ge- 

 neral; and, in 1745, it was occupied by the army of the 

 Pretender, previous to the battje of Culloden. Inverness, 

 in conjunction with Fortrose, Nairn, and Foms, sends 

 a member to parliament, each in rotation being the re- 

 turning burgh, and having a casting vote. 



The population of Inverness has been gradually in- Population, 

 creasing for a considerable time, but it seems to have 

 grown in a much greater ratio of late years. This arises 

 from a variety of causes, of which the works of the Ca- 

 ledonian canal, and the consequent accumulation of la. 

 bourers, may be offered as one of the most obvious and 

 important. In 1791, it contained 5107 inhabitants ; in 

 1801 the number rose to 8742; and, in the return of 

 1811, the total amounted to 11353. The Gaelic. Ian- 

 guage is of course much used amongst the lower or- 

 ders ; but English is spoken by all ranks with a degree 

 of grammatical precision, hardly to be met with in any 

 other part of Scotland ; and although it is accompanied 

 by a particular provincial accent, by no means pleasant, 

 yet the pronunciation is generally much more correct 

 here than it is elsewhere. Some attribute this to the cir- 

 cumstance of the intercourse of the inhabitants with 

 Cromwell's soldiers, having influenced the language of 

 their descendants ; but it is perhaps better explained by 

 remarking, that Gaelic having been the common me- 



