Gazetteer of Scotland

ABE
ABE
to its trade, and occafioned the lofs
of many lives, and much property. It
was much interrupted by a bar of
fand, which fhifted its fituation fo
much, that a vefiel could never de-
pend on finding it as it was left. This
inconvenience is now removed by a
new pier, on the N. fide of the river,
which was creeled according to a plan
of the celebrated Mr. Smeaton. It is
1200 feet long, and gradually increafes
in thicknefs and height, as it ap-
proaches to the fea, where the head
or rounding is 60 feet diameter at the
bafe, and the perpendicular elevation
38 feet. The whole is built of huge
{tones of granite, at the expence of
about 2o,oool. which is defrayed by
doubling the harbour dues. Near the
great pier are 2 batteries, mounting
ten 12-pounders, erected in 17S1-2,
for the defence of the harbour and
ihipping. Aberdeen once enjoyed a
great ihare in the North American
trade : at prefent, its chief imports
are from the Baltic ; and a few mer-
chants trade to the Levant and the
Weft Indies. Its exports are ftock-
ings, thread, falmon, grain, and meal;
the firft is the m oft important article,
beingeftimatedatno lefs than 183,0001.
annually. The manufacture of fine
thread is carried on by feveral com-
panies to a confiderable extent ; and
a few gentlemen have lately begun to
manufacture brown linens, ofnaburghs
and canvafs. The falmon fiihings of
Dee and Don are a valuable branch of
trade; the annual average of exported
falmon being 167,000 lb. of pickled
filh fent to London, and 900 or 1000
barrels of falted fifh fent to the Me-
diterranean. Aberdeen alio expoits
a confiderable quantity of pickled
pork, which is dilpofed of to the
Dutch for victualling their Eaft India
veffeis and fnips of war; the Aberdeen
pork having a high reputation for
being the belt cured, and for keeping
on long voyages. It is however re-
markable, that there is not a fingle
decked vefiel fitted out from this
port for the herring or white fiiher-
ies, for the profecution of which it is
admirably fituated. Aberdeen has
two private banking companies, who
iilue their own notes ; and an In-
furance Company againft loffes by
fire has been lately eftabliihed, on 'a
relpectable plan, and with a large
capital. Aberdeen is faid to be one
of the oldeft communities, and to
have been erected into a royal borough
as early as 893 ; but the moft ancient
charter now extant, is from King Wil-
liam the Lion, of which the date is
wanting ; but it muft have been be-
tween 1 1 65 and 1 2 14, the period of
his reign. Many other charters have
been given by fuccefiive monarchs.
Its civil government is veiled in a
provoft, denominated lord provoft,
4 bailies, a dean of guild, treafurer,
and town-clerk, a town council, and
7 deacons of the incorporated trades.
An act of parliament was alio pallid
in 1795, empowering the inhabitants
to elect 13 commillioners of police,
and for railing an afleffment, pro re
nata, for paving, lighting, and clean-
ing the ftreets, lupplying the city with
water, &c. Aberdeen, as a royal bo-
rough, enjoys parliamentary repre-
fentation, uniting with Abcrbrothock,
Brecnin, Inverbervie, and JVlontroie,
in fending a member to parliament.
Its fairs are on the 2nd Tuefday of
June, laft Thurfday of Auguft, and
lit Tuefday of October. The pariih
of Aberdeen (N^wj, or St. Ni-
cholas, is of fmall extent, being con-
fined to the limits of the town on e-
very fide, except the S. E. where it
extends to the fea, including the vil-
lage of Footdee, a confiderable village,
having a neat chapel of eaie, lately
built. There is a fine bridge of 7
arches over the Dee, built in 1530 by
Biihop Dunbar, and repaired, or rather
rebuilt by the magiftrates oi Aberdeen
in 1724. Amongit many eminent cha-
racters who were born in this place,
we will only mention Jamie son, the
celebrated painter, after named the
Scottiih Vandyke. In 1793, the po-
pulation of New Aberdeen pariih was
16120; increafe 5335 iince 1755.
ABERDEEN (OLD), ollm Aber-
don ; an ancient burgh in the county
of the fame name, and formerly an
epifcopal fee. It is pleaiantly fituated
on an eminence, on the river Don,
about a mile N. of the city of New
Aberdeen, and nearly the fame diftance
from the fea. It is a place of great
antiquity, and was of confiderable im-
portance fo long ago as the end of the
9th century, when, according to tra-
dition, King Gregory the Great con-
ferred an it forne peculiar privileges.