ings; and many, if destitute of other | the Corn Exchange, in Hadden Street; character, are at least substantial. The the County Record Office, on the west prevailing building material, a light-side of King Street; the Barracks, on coloured granite, with large proportion Castle Hill; the Prison, at the head of of glittering mica, gives a peculiar hue Rose Street; the Theatre in Mariswhere the stone is well dressed, and has chal Street; the Advocates' Hall, at the occasioned Aberdeen to be called "the corner of Union Street and Back Wynd; granite city." and several other civil public buildings, possess points of interest.

Marischal College, on the east side of Broad Street, was built in 1837-41, at a cost of £21,420, on the site of previous buildings, which originally belonged to a Franciscan friary; is a grand Gothic structure, arranged on three sides of a quadrangle, with a square tower about 100 feet high; and contains a hall, a library, a museum, and accommodation for twenty-two classes. The Grammar School, on School Hill, is but a plain building of 1757, but challenges notice, as a seminary, for having flourished during at least 600 years, and produced a large number of distinguished scholars. Gordon's Hospital, behind the Grammar School, is a beautiful edifice of 1739, coinprising a centre, two wings, and connecting colonnade, surrounded by a large garden; and gives free board and education to 150 boys. The Infirmary, at Woolmanhill, erected in 1840 at a cost of about £17,000, is a fine Grecian structure of centre and two wings, and contains accommodation for 210 patients. The Lunatic Asylum, in the northwestern outskirts, at the bottom of a leafy, villa-studded vale, is a spacious dome-capped edifice of 1819 and other dates, raised at a cost of about £20,000, and environed with airing-grounds, which contain an obelisk to the memory of John Forbes, Esq. of Newe. The Orphan Girls' Asylum, at Albyn Place, in the west, is a chaste erection of 1840, in the Italian style, and maintains and

The Market Cross, in the centre of the upper part of Castle Street, built in 1686, reconstructed and renovated in 1842, is a hexagonal structure, pierced below with spacious arches, decorated above with medallion sculptures of the sovereigns of Scotland, from James I. to James VII., and sending aloft from the centre a composite column surmounted by a unicorn rampant. The Duke of Gordon's Monument, in the area of Castle Street, further west, is a colossal granite statue, on a proportionate pedestal. The Tolbooth, on the north side of Castle Street, west of King Street, is an edifice of the 17th century, tastefully modernized with granite facings, and surmounted by an elegant spire 120 feet high. The Town Hall, adjoining the Tolbooth on the west, is a plain, large building, remoulded in 1750, and contains some interesting portraits. The County Rooms, on the north side of Union Street, west of the bridge, were built in 1820, at a cost of £11,500, display an elegant portico and colonnade, and contain a magnificent banquetingroom, and other apartments for public assemblies. The Market House, on the west side of Market Street, opened in 1842, is a singularly well-arranged structure, with a hall 315 feet long, 106 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The North of Scotland Bank, at the south-west corner of King Street, built in 1839 at a cost of £14,000, is an elegant edifice with Corinthian portico. The Aberdeen Bank, at the corner of Castle Street and Maris-educates a limited number of young girls. chal Street; the Athenæum, or public news-room, at the south-west corner of Castle Street; the Mechanics' Institution, on the east side of Market Street;

St. Nicholas' Poor-house, in the northeastern outskirts, adjacent to the Great North of Scotland Railway, is a.Tudor structure of 1849, raised at the cost of

£9300, and containing accommodation | Chapel connected with St. Nicholas'

THE RIVER DEE-THE BRIDGE OF DEE.

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James II., it was carefully protected by | The Cathedral was built, at successive fortifications, and by a constant armed periods from 1357 till 1518, on the site guard of its own inhabitants. In 1411, of a previous one; but all of it, except being menaced by Donald of the Isles, it the nave, was destroyed by the mobs of sent out a force which overthrew him in the Reformation, and by the soldiers of the battle of Harlaw. It gave a magni- Cromwell. King's College is an edifice ficent reception, in 1511, to the queen of of the 16th century, in the form of a James IV.; and in 1537, to the person hollow quadrangle, much enlarged and and court of James V.; and it received a renovated in modern times, and exhibitvisit, in 1562, from Queen Mary, and at ing curious mixtures of both stone and five periods from James VI. It adopted style. A square tower rises from one warinly the doctrines of the Reformation, part of it to the height of 100 feet, terfigured prominently in the great changes minating in a grand stone crown, formed which these effected, and suffered se- by intersection of flying buttresses, and verely, from both sides, in the wars which surmounted by a cross. The ancient followed. In 1650 Charles II. made a College Church, adjoining the tower, is visit to it; in 1651 the army of General now disposed partly in a chapel, partly Monk took possession of it; in 1715 an in the library; and the chapel is consiineffectual effort was made in it on be- dered one of the finest antique structures half of the Chevalier; in 1745 it was in the kingdom, while the library conheld for a few weeks by the troops of the tains about 25,000 volumes. Two bridges Pretender; and in 1848 it was visited span the Don in the vicinity of the town; by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. the one a structure of five arches, erected It gives the title of Earl, in the peerage in 1829; the other an ancient pile, with of Scotland, to a branch of the family of a single high Gothic arch, figuring in Gordon. The distinguished men who popular legends, and in some lines of Lord have been connected with it, or with Old Byron, as the "Brig o' Balgownie." The Aberdeen, include the historian Barbour, population of Old Aberdeen does not exthe painter Jamieson, the mathematician ceed 1600. Gregory, the physicians Gregory, the optician Ramage, Professors Hamilton and Copland, and Drs. Blackwell, Campbell, Reid, Beattie, Gerrard, Abercrom-length of course, measured as the crow bie, and Lawrence Brown.

Old Aberdeen, in spite of its name, is not older than New Aberdeen, and originally bore the name of Seaton; but it became the seat of a bishopric in 1154, and was long an influential town. It stands about a mile north of New Aberdeen, near the right bank of the Don; and is now a small, quiet, antiquated place, with forsaken and dejected aspect. The Town Hall, surmounted by a small spire, is a structure of the latter part of last century. The Parish Church is the nave of the ancient Cathedral, 126 feet long and 68 feet wide, in plain Gothic style, but containing a splendid western window, and a fine antique carved roof.

1163. THE RIVER DEE rises among the Cairngorm mountains, and runs east by north to the sea at Aberdeen. Its

flies, is 64 miles; measured along its bed, at least 96 miles. Its descent, to the neighbourhood of Castletown, achieves an aggregate of about 4000 feet; but thence to the sea, is so small as not once to offer water-power for a mill. Its chief tributaries are numerous torrents, Gairn Water, and a number of burns on the left bank; a few torrents, Muick Water, Feugh Water, and some burns on the right bank. Its waters were long famous for great wealth of salmon, but have been sadly impoverished by land drainage, manufactories, stake-nets, and large increase of the voracious pike. The valley bears the name of Deeside.

1164. THE BRIDGE OF DEE, about

396

CULTS HOUSE-BANCHORY.

a mile above Aberdeen, on the great road | Station, was anciently part of a royal to the south, is a fine structure with forest, the site of a hunting seat of the seven arches, built in 1530, renovated in Kings of Scotland; and has belonged for 1724, and widened in 1842. Several centuries to a family famous in history, sharp conflicts, in the times of the Cove- sung in the ballad of the "Laird of nanters, were fought adjacent to it; and Drum," and now represented by Alexone of these, making mention of the ander F. Irvine, Esq. The mansion on bridge, is celebrated in the ballad of it is a large Tudor edifice of 1619, and "Bonnie John Seton." Pitfoddels Castle, adjoins an oblong, three-storey fortalice the seat of the Menzieses, sung in another of the 12th century. Echt House, 5 ballad, stood in the northern neighbour-miles to the north, the seat of Lord hood, but has disappeared. Banchory Lindsay, is a handsome modern edifice. House, in the south-western neighbourhood, is the property of Alexander Thomson, Esq.

1165. CULTS HOUSE, in the vicinity of Cults Station, is the seat of G. S. Gibb, Esq. Two stone coffins, containing human remains, were found about 1835 near this mansion; three large cairns still remain there; and a number of tumuli, Druidical stones, and other Caledonian relics, occur among the neighbouring hills. The mansions of Bieldside, Countesswells, Ardo, Deebank, Heathcote, Murtle, and Binghill, stand within a range of three miles from below Cults upward to Culter.

1166. CULTER BURN, contiguous to Culter Station, with bridge, paper mills, steep banks, wooded cliffs, lake, and waterfall, presents a romantic scene. Culter House, a little to the north-east, is an old edifice, said to have been built by Sir Alexander Cumming in the time of Queen Mary. Blairs College, on the south side of the Dee, 2 miles to the south-east, is a seminary for training Roman Catholic priests. Kingcausie House and Maryculter House, on the same side, nearly opposite Culter House, are the seats of John Boswell and Charles Gordon, Esqs. Normandykes, on the top of a hill, with a charming view, on the north side of the Dee, above Culter Burn, is the distinct trace of a large Roman camp, believed by some antiquaries to have been the site of the Roman town and station of Devana.

Echt parish, around that mansion, and southward to the vicinity of Drum, contains a Danish camp, several cairns, a large Pictish work, and remains of three Druidical temples. Durris Tower, on the right side of the Dee, opposite Drum, is a monument raised in 1825 to commemorate the gaining of a law-suit by the late Duke of Gordon. Durris House, further south, the property of Mr. Mactier, is a modern mansion, connected by a colonnade with an ancient one.

1168. PARK HOUSE, in the vicinity of Park Station, the seat of A. J. Kinloch, Esq., is a Grecian edifice of 1822, and stands amid brilliant grounds. Crathes Castle, 3 miles further west, the seat of Sir James H. Burnett, Bart., is an ancient and very stately edifice, and figures in the old ballad of the "Baron o' Leys." Tilwhilly Castle, on the south side of the Dee, nearly opposite Crathes, the seat of Henry Lumsden, Esq., is an imposing edifice. The Glen of Corrichie, on the south side of the Hill of Fare, 3 miles north-north-west of Crathes, was the scene of an action in 1562, between the forces of Queen Mary and those of her antagonists. Midmar Castle, on the north side of the Hill of Fare, is a very ancient structure, recently inhabited.

1169. BANCHORY has a post office under Aberdeen, two banking offices, an excellent inn, a Gothic church with a tower, built in 1824, and about 500 inhabitants. The original village is old and decayed, and now bears the name of 1167. DRUM Estate, around Drum Townhead. The modern village was