CHAP. IX. ABERDEEN HARBOUR. 403 



limited to that object. He found the river meandering 

 over an irregular space about five hundred yards in 

 breadth ; and he applied the only practicable remedy, by 

 confining the channel as much as the limited means 

 placed at his disposal enabled him to do, and directing 

 the land floods so as to act upon and diminish the 

 bar. Opposite the north pier, on the south side of the 

 river, Smeaton constructed a breast-wall about half the 

 length of the pier. Owing, however, to a departure 

 from that engineer's plans, by which the pier was placed 

 too far to the north, it was found that a heavy swell 

 entered the harbour, and, to obviate this formidable 

 inconvenience, a bulwark was projected from it, so as to 

 occupy about one-third of the channel entrance. 



The trade of the place continuing to increase, Mr. 

 Eennie'was called upon, in 1797, to examine and report 

 upon the best means of improving the harbour, when he 

 recommended the construction of floating docks upon the 

 sandy flats called Foot Dee. Nothing was done at the 

 time, as the scheme was very costly and considered be- 

 yond the available means of the locality. But the magis- 

 trates kept the subject in mind ; and when Mr. Telford 

 reported as to the improvement of the harbour in 1801, 

 he intimated that the inhabitants were ready to co-operate 

 with the Government in rendering it capable of accom- 

 modating ships of war, so far as their circumstances 

 would permit. In 1807 the south pier-head, built by 

 Mr. Smeaton, was destroyed by a storm, and the time 

 had arrived when something must be done, not only to 

 improve but even to preserve the port. The magis- 

 trates accordingly proceeded, in 1809, to rebuild the pier- 

 head of cut granite, and at the same time they applied 

 to Parliament for authority to carry out further improve- 

 ments after the plan recommended by Mr. Telford ; and 

 the necessary powers were conferred in the following 

 year. The new works comprehended a large exten- 

 sion of the wharfage accommodation, the construction 



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