Historical Aberdeen. By G. M. Fraser. (W. Smith, Aberdeen. 3s.
net.)—Mr. Fraser, who is in charge of the Aberdeen Library, has taken much trouble, and to good purpose, in putting together this history of Aberdeen. The place may be said to date its municipal existence from 1180, when it received a charter from William the Lion,,a charter supplemented. by other concessions during William's reign. Somewhat more than a century after, the city gained the favour of Robert the Bruce. Tho castle with its English garrison was captured, and the Bruce, who was not particularly well disposed to the burghs in general, showed his gratitude. Mr. Fraser seems to have disentangled this some- what complicated story with success. Nothing of any great importance happened for many years after this. Cromwell's army paid the place a visit after Dunbar, and Sir John Cope was there in 1745. Apparently he was not very well satisfied as to the loyalty of the Aberdonians, and ordered them to send the guns that were mounted on the castle to Edinburgh. However, they got £828 for them (sterling, not Scots), and were probably consoled. Mr. Fraser has many things to tell us gathered from the byways of history. There is the "Snow Church," for instance, dedicated to St. Mary ad Hives, in imitation of a Roman dedication of the days of Pope Liberins, when the site for an intended dedication was pointed out by a fall of snow in August. Of course in the story of a Scottish town golf is bound to appear. We hear of it in 1713, when Sir Samuel Forbes describes a field stretching between the mouths of the Dee and the Don affording "a health- ful summer recreation of short bowls, and the like winter recreation of the gowff ball." But the Aberdonian zeal for " gowff " was not always according to knowledge, for in 1612-13 two Aliens were convicted of " setting ane goiff ball in the kirk yeard and striking the same against the kirk."
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