ABERBROTHICK ABERNETHY. 



sprarig from the Gnostics. They abstained from 

 matrimony, to avoid propagating original sin, but 

 ttdopted the children of others, and brought them 

 up in their own principles. This society existed to- 

 \vards the end of the 4th century, among the people 

 who dwelt near Hippo, in the northern part of Afri- 

 ca, and borrowed their name from Abel, the son of 

 Adam, because he died unmarried and without chil- 

 dren. They have found followers in the Shakers, 



(<]. V.) 



ABERBROTHICK. See Arbroath. 



ABEKCORN, a parish and village of Linlithgowshire, 

 where stood one of the most ancient monasteries in 

 Scotland, and also a castle, originally a Roman fort, 

 of great strength. It belongs chiefly to the Hope- 

 ton family, and gives title ot marquis to a branch of 

 the house of Hamilton. 



ABERCROMBY, Alexander, a Scottish lawyer and 

 judge of the last century, was born in 1745, and died 

 in 1795. He was brother to Sir Ralph Abercromby, 

 and is now chiefly remembered as being a valuable 

 contributor to the Mirror and Lounger, two periodicals 

 published at Edinburgh, which have taken their place 

 among the most classical of the British essayists. 



ABERCROMBY, John, the author of several esteemed 

 works on gardening, was born near Edinburgh, and 

 going up early in fife to London, obtained employ- 

 ment in the Royal Gardens. He died in 1801. 

 He was author of ' The Gardener's Calendar/ ' The 

 Universal Dictionary of Gardening and Botany,' and 

 other works on the same subjects. 



ABERCROMBY, Patrick, physician to James II., was 

 born in the county of Angus in 1656, and educated 

 at St Andrews. He travelled fon some time on the 

 continent, and died in 1716 or 1726. He compiled 

 ' The Martial Achievements of the Soots Nation,' 

 which was published in 1711-15, in 2 vols. fol., and 

 translated a French work, entitled ' The Campaigns 

 in Scotland in 1548 and 1549,' which was published 

 in 1707. 



ABERCROMBY, Sir Ralph, a distinguished British 

 general officer, was born in 1738, at Tullibody, in 

 Clackmannanshire. His first commission was that 

 of cornet in the 3d regiment of dragoon guards, in 

 1 756 ; and he gradually passed through all the ranks 

 of the service, until he became a major general, in 

 1787. On the commencement of the war with 

 France, he was employed in Flanders and Holland 

 with the local rank of lieutenant-general, and in 

 tliat critical service, displayed equal skill and hu- 

 manity. In 1795, he received the order of the Bath, 

 and was appointed commander-in-chief of the forces 

 in the West Indies. In this expedition he captured 

 the islands of Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent, and 

 Trinidad, with the settlements of Demerara and 

 Essequibo. On his return, he was appointed com- 

 mander-in-chief in Ireland; but, for reasons very 

 honourable to himself, was quickly removed to the 

 correspondent command in Scotland. In the at- 

 tempt upon Holland, in 1799, sir Ralph had the 

 ole command on the first landing, and both his 

 troops and himself greatly distinguished themselves. 

 His royal highness the duke of ifork subsequently 

 arrived, under whom sir Ralph acted. The final 

 failure of the expedition is well known. The next 

 and concluding service of this able and meritorious 

 officer was in the expedition to Egypt, of which he 

 was commander-in-chief. He landed, after a se- 

 vere contest, at Aboukir, Mar. 8, 1801 ; and on the 

 21 of the same month, was fought the battle of 

 Alexandria, in which sir Ralph was unhorsed and 

 wounded in two places ; notwithstanding which he 

 disarmed his antagonist, and gave the sword to sir 

 Sidney Smith. The general kept the field during the 

 day, and was then conveyed on board the admiral's 



ship, where he survived about a week. His body 

 was conveyed to Malta, and interred beneath the 

 castle of St Elmo, and a monument was voted to him, 

 by parliament, in St Paul's cathedral. His widow 

 was also created baroness Abercromby, with re- 

 mainder to the issue male of her late husband ; and 

 a pension of 2000/. a year was granted in support of 

 the digmty. Sir Ralph A. left four sons ; George, 

 a barrister at law ; Jolm, a major-general ; James, 

 and Alexander. 



ABERDEENSHIRE, an extensive county in the north 

 of Scotland, bounded on the east and north by 

 the German ocean, on the south by Perthshire, 

 Angus, and Kincardineshire, and on the west by 

 the shires of Banff, Moray, and Inverness. Its sup- 

 erficial extent is estimated at 1200 square miles, and 

 it is divided into 85 parishes. Its western parts are 

 rugged and mountainous, and in many places cov- 

 ered with extensive forests. Towards the east and 

 north-east, the county is more level, fertile, and 

 capable of cultivation. The mountains are chiefly 

 composed of granite, which is the prevailing rock 

 throughout the county, and great quantities of which 

 are annually exported to London and other places. 

 The principal rivers of A. are the Don, the Dee, the 

 Ythao, the Bogie, the Uri, the Cruden, and the De- 

 veron. Nearly all these abound in salmon, much ot 

 which is sent in a fresh state to the London market. 

 The sea-coast also abounds with excellent fish, the 

 catching of which affords employment for a great num- 

 ber of fishing vessels from the ports of Frazerburgh, 

 Peterhead, and Aberdeen. The two latter places 

 employ a number of vessels in the whale fishery. 

 Although generally poor as an agricultural county, 

 Aberdeenshire is rich in natural resources, and its 

 scenery is in many places peculiarly wild and 

 picturesque. It also contains a number of the chief 

 seats of the Scottish nobility, besides many elegant 

 residences belonging to private gentlemen. The 

 population is estimated at 177,651. The capital of 

 the shire is NEW ABERDEEN, which is a royal burgh, 

 and the chief city as well as principal seaport of the 

 north of Scotland. It is a large and handsome 

 town, situated near the mouth of the Dee, with a 

 population of 32,912. The inhabitants carry on a 

 very considerable business both in trade and manu- 

 factures, and the place has been long celebrated as 

 a seat of learning, by possessing the Marischal Col- 

 lege and University, founded by George, earl Mar- 

 ischal, in 1530. OLD ABERDEEN is a mile distant 

 from the new town, and not far from the Don. It was 

 anciently an episcopal see, and it also has its univer- 

 sity, called King's College, founded in 1494 by 

 Bishop Elphinstone. Population of O. A. 25,107, 

 including the parish of Old Machar. 



ABERLI, John Lewis, a landscape painter, famous 

 for his Views of Switzerland ; was born in 1723, at 

 Winterthur. He relinquished the manner of his 

 teacher, Meyer, an indifferent artist, went to Berne, 

 received better instruction from Jolm Grimm, and 

 at first painted portraits. But his inclination for 

 landscape painting gained the ascendency. He went, 

 in 1759, with his pupil Zingg, to Paris, and re- 

 turned, esteemed and admired, to Berne, where he 

 died in 1786. His manner has been very often im- 

 itated, and his sketches have always maintained the 

 reputation of being the best in their kind. 



ABERNBTHY, John, an eminent Irish presbyterian 

 divine, was born at Londonderry in 1680, educated 



Ertly in Glasgow and partly in Edinburgh, and 

 sd in 1740. He distinguished himself chiefly by 

 his zeal for religious liberty, and his resistance to 

 what he deemed oppressive authority on the part of 

 the Irish presbytery. Besides occasional sermons 

 and controversial tracts, he was author of Discourse;) 



