192 



ABERCltOMBY ABERDEEN. 



pie, where he applied himself with the utmost assi- 

 duity to the acquirement of legal knowledge. On 

 being called to the bur in 1796, he joined the Ox- 

 ford circuit, and soon became extensively employed 

 as a counsel, his income averaging, before he was 

 raised to the bench, about 10,000 a year. In 

 1816, through the influence of lord Ellenborougli, 

 he was appointed a puisne judge in the court of 

 common pleas, and, next year, was raised to the 

 court of king's bench, on which occasion he received 

 the honour of knighthood. In November, 1818, 

 by the retirement of Lord Ellenborough, he became 

 lord chief justice. The nomination was fully 

 justified by the acute judgment and deep legal 

 learning which he displayed in his high office. Few 

 judges have decided so much and so well, and his 

 rulings have been rarely reversed. In 1827, he was 

 created baron Tenterden, of Hendon, in the county 

 of Middlesex. His last appearance on the bench 

 was on the 2<>th of October, 1832, being the second 

 day of the trial of the magistrates of Bristol. After 

 he returned home on that day, he was unable again 

 to leave it, being seized with an illness, which car- 

 ried him off on the 4th November, 1832. Lord 

 Tenterden married in 1795, a daughter of John 

 Lagier Lumotte, Esq., by whom he left two sons 

 and two daughters. As a legislator, his lordship 

 introduced into the house of lords several useful 

 and important bills, which have become the law of 

 the land. In 1802, his lordship (then Mr Abbott) 

 published " A Treatise on the Law relative to 

 Merchant Ships and Seamen," which is the standard 

 work on the subject, and has gone through several 

 editions. 



ABERCROMBY, SIR RALPH, (a.) Sir Ralph 

 was born in 1734, not 1738, as stated in the Ency- 

 clopedia. His son James, late one of the members 

 of parliament, for the city of Edinburgh, and speaker 

 of the house of commons, was elevated to the peer- 

 age in 1839, under *he title of Lord Dunfermline. 

 One of his grandsons is member for Stirlingshire. 



ABERDEEN, (a). At the commencement of 

 the Encyclopedia, less space was allowed for local 

 topography than was afterwards found could be 

 afforded. Aberdeen, accordingly, standing early on 

 the list, was treated in a merely summary manner. 

 We are glad at the opportunity the Supplement 

 gives of entering more into details regarding this an- 

 cient and important seat of learning and commerce. 



Aberdeen is the third city in size and population* 

 in Scotland. Under this name we include New 

 Aberdeen and Old Aberdeen ; the latter a city in 

 the strict sense of the term, from its having been 

 the seat of a bishop, and the former, though only a 

 royal burgh, being generally described as acity,owing 

 to its population and opulence. They are bounded by 

 the river Dee on the south, and by the Don on the 

 north ; New Aberdeen lying on the north side of 

 the Dee, and Old Aberdeen on the south side of the 

 Don. The lat. of Aberdeen is 57 8' 57". 8 N.; 

 and the Ion. 2 5' 40''. 7 W. ; the distance from 

 Edinburgh by the nearest route, through Fife and 

 Dundee, is about 109 miles. The town is entered 

 from the south by a bridge of seven arches built 

 across the Dee. This bridge, the building of which 

 was commenced by bishop Elphinstone, was finished 

 by bishop Dunbar in 1527. It is reckoned one of 

 the finest bridges in the kingdom ; and a proposal 

 is just now before the town council, to lay out 

 a sum between five and six thousand pounds in 

 widening it after a plan which will preserve the 

 old elevation, and all the tablets and shields on the 



buttresses. The population of Aberdeen, including 

 the whole parish of St Nicholas, by the census of 

 1831, was 3ii,i)l'2; while that of "Old Aberdeen, 

 including the parish of Old Machar, was :>/.>. 11)7. 

 showing an increase of more than 13,000 on iliu 

 whole population since the census of 1821. The 

 population of Old and New Aberdeen, exclusive of 

 the parishes, in 1841, was (13,288. 



Commerce, Manufactures, \c The commerce 



and manufactures of Aberdeen are extensive and 

 thriving. It is calculated that about ten thousand 

 individuals are employed in the manufactories in and 

 around the city. The principal articles of manu- 

 facture are cotton, linen, worked, earpetin^s, cim- 

 vas, thread and paper. Several large iron fomi 

 have been established here, and shipbuilding is car- 

 ried on to a great extent. The Balmoii-nM.i. 

 prosecuted in the bay, and in the rivers Dec and 

 Don. In the year 1836, the herring-fishery, which 

 promises to be a source of wealth to the eity, was 

 commenced at Aberdeen. In order to encourage 

 the trade, bounties were given by the magistrates, 

 and the harbour trustees exempted the boats from 

 the payment of shore-dues. The fishing is now 

 considered to be established. The principal im- 

 portations of Aberdeen are wheat and flour, timber, 

 flax, cotton, lime and coals ; while the chief exports 

 are oats, manufactured cotton, wool and flax, granite- 

 stone from the neighbouring quarries, cattle, fresh 

 salmon and white fish. Part of the present tide 

 harbour of Aberdeen is about to be converted into 

 a wet dock, according to a plan laid down by Mi- 

 James Walker, civil engineer, the execution of 

 which, it is calculated, will cost 85,800. The 

 dock will be capable of containing 240 vessels of 

 300 tons burthen. The scheme has met with the 

 general approbation of the shipowners, merchants 

 and manufacturers of Aberdeen. From the harbour 

 there is a canal, completed in 1807, which runs 

 north-west to Inverury, a distance of more than 

 eighteen miles. On the Girdleness, a little to the 

 south of the entrance to the harbour, is a light- 

 house, which was first lighted up in 1833. The 

 shipping of Aberdeen has increased of late years. 

 The number of vessels now belonging to the port 

 is 185, of which ten are steamers ; the tonnage of 

 these vessels is 31,063 ; the tonnage of the steamers 

 being 4479 tons. Three of these steamers sail be- 

 tween Aberdeen and London ; one of them sails 

 between Aberdeen and Hull; while there are five 

 on the passage between Aberdeen and Leith. Re- 

 gular conveyance by steamers is also kept up bet ween 

 Aberdeen and Cromarty and Inverness, and Caith- 

 ness, Orkney and Shetland. Besides the trading 

 vessels which we have enumerated, there are two 

 tug steamers employed in drawing vessels into the 

 harbour. Amongst other contemplated improve- 

 ments in the city, it may be mentioned that a joint 

 stock company has been set on foot for the purpose 

 of opening up a ne\v and improved access from the 

 harbour to the centre of the town. Along with 

 this scheme, the company contemplate the erection 

 of a great central public market on the west side of 

 the New Street. 



Municipal Government, &c. The municipal af- 

 fairs of Aberdeen are under the management of a 

 Provost, four Bailies, a dean of guild, a treasurer 

 and twelve councillors. The municipal incorpora- 

 tion of Old Aberdeen consists of the same number 

 of members, but has no dean of guild. In both 

 cities there are seven incorporated trades. The 

 harbour works are managed ny a board of trustees, 



