his own direction, was interred before the high altar in the Collegiate Church at Old Aberdeen aforesaid, founded by himself.

Gavin Dunbar, the next but one in succession, became Bishop of Aberdeen in 1518. He built the bridge over the river Dee, consisting of seven arches, which had been planned by Bishop Elphinston, and also endowed an hospital for twelve poor men, with a preceptor, in 1532. He died in that or the following year.

William Stewart, allied to the family of Garlies, was the next Bishop. He was doctor of laws; first, parson of Lochmaben, then rector of Ayr, and a prebendary of Glasgow. In 1527 he was preferred to the deanery of Glasgow; in 1530, Lord Treasurer and Provost of Lincluden, and in 1532, elected Bishop of Aberdeen; and soon after sent, together with Sir Adam Otterburn, the King's Advocate, on an embassy to England, which was attended with success. He died in 1545.

William Gordon, of the house of Huntly, was the last Bishop before the spoliation. He was Bishop here in 1550, and died at

Aberdeen in 1577.

At this time the Cathedral seems to have been rich in plate and vestments, soon, alas! to be rudely torn away by sacrilegious hands.

Inventory of the Silver Work, &c., of the Cathedral Church of Aberdeen, delivered to the keeping of the Canons by Bishop William Gordon, 7th July 1559, and subscribed by them :

Impr. To Mr Robert Erskine, dean, in chandlers (candlesticks), chalices, paxes (pyxes), and a cross, To Mr Alexander Seton, chancellor, in basins, censers, and chalices,

To Mr John Stewart, archdean,

To Mr James Strachan, parson of Belhelvie,
To Mr Henry Lumsden, parson of Kinkell,
To Mr William Hay, parson of Turriff,
To Mr Alexander Anderson, parson of Mortlich,
To Mr William Campbell, parson of Tullinessel,

To Mr Patrick Myreton, treasurer, besides a gold chain, and great ring,

89

To Mr John Leslie, parson of Oyne, the image of the
Virgin Mary,

114

To Mr James Gordon, parson of Lonmey,

16

Besides to the treasurer, five chalices for daily use,
and two crowns, with precious stones in them, de-
livered to the Earl of Huntlie in custody, upon his
bond of custody and restitution, given November
13, 1559. Cautioners for him,-William Leslie
of Kirkhill, and George Barclay of Gairlie.
Item, A chalice of pure gold, with the paten thereof,
three pointed diamonds in the foot thereof, and two
rubies of Bishop Dunbar's gift,

Delivered to the said Earl, being Chancellor of Scot-
land, in custody and upon restitution within ten
days premonition by the bishop, dean, and chapter
of Aberdeen, and their successors, the species fol-
lowing, under pain of God's curse; and the bond
which was given ordained to be registrate in the
Commissary of Edinburgh's books:-

Item, A great eucharist, double overgilt, artificially wrought,

Item, Two silver chandlers (candlesticks),

Item, A holy water font, with stick of silver,
Item, A silver cross, part overgilt,

Item, A book, with the written Evangel, of the which
the one side is silver double overgilt, all these
former marked with Bishop Gavin Dunbar's arms,
Item, The bishop's great mitre, all overset with orient
pearls and stones, and silver overgilt, the hail mitre
extending to 5 lb. 15 oz. weight,
Item, Two staves of silver, pertaining to the bishop's
pontifical, the one weighing,

The other, with the king's arms,

Besides all these, there was a large quantity of vestments, both personal and for the altar, of the richest materials.

Including this Bishop Gordon, thirty-one prelates are recorded by Bishop Keith, as holding this See from the first foundation at Mortlach to the spoliation of the Church.

Subsequently it was held by three Bishops, David Cunningham, Peter Blackburn, and Alexander Forbes, of whom nothing in particular is recorded. To the latter succeeded, in 1618, Patrick Forbes, of Corse. He did not enter into Holy Orders until he was 48 years

of

age, and then did so at the recommendation of a clergyman in the neighbourhood, who, in a fit of melancholy, had stabbed himself, but lived to lament his error. Bishop Forbes conducted the affairs of his diocese to the approbation of all men, and died, much regretted, on the 28th of March 1635, aged 71, and was buried in the south aisle of the Cathedral. He wrote a Commentary upon the Book of Revelations. He had a singular method of visiting the Churches in his diocese, no one being aware of his approach, until he made his appearance in a Church on the Lord's day, thus taking occasion to see how matters were managed by his Clergy: a practice which might be very efficient in keeping them alive to their duty, as being under constant supervision; though scarcely allowable in general without some qualification. Yet, under any circumstances, it seems preferable to the triennial farce played off in some of the English dioceses, where the stately Episcopal equipage announces the approach of the Bishop to meet his Clergy in some principal town or city: the names are called over, as far as the greater number of the Clergy are concerned, all that passes is a formal bow between each and his Diocesan, the equipage disappears, and with it the Bishop from the eyes of his flock for other three years.

It appears from the registers of the city of Aberdeen, that Bishop Forbes was highly popular with the authorities there, who shewed all respect to his memory.

• ORDINANCE TO THE DEAN Of Gild anent THE BISHOPIS BURIALL.'

Octavo die mensis Aprilis 1635.

The quhilk day the Prouest, Baillies, and Counsall ordainis the tounes haill tuelff peice of ordinance to be shot the morne, at the buriall of umq'll Patrick, late bishop of Aberdeine, in testimonie of thair affectioun and deserveit respect to him; thairof thrie peice to be shot at the lifting of the corps out of the chepell on the Castelhill, and the other nyne to be shot howsone the buriall passes by the tounes merche at the Spitillhill, and thaireftir, the said haill ordinance to be chairgit and shot of new againe, at the interring of the corps; and the haill bellis to be tollit during that ilk tyme; lyke as they appoint Walter Robertsone, dean of gild, to caus mak in redines the said ordinance to the effect foirsaid, and what he deburses thairwpon sal be allowit to him in his comptis.'

Five more prelates possessed the temporalities of this See, the last of whom, George Haliburton, descended from a branch of the

family of Pitcur, in Forfarshire, was first minister of Coupar Angus, then promoted to the See of Brechin, and thence translated to Aberdeen, which he retained till deprived at the Revolution. He died at his house of Denhead, in the parish of Coupar Angus, Sept. 29, 1715, at the age of 77.

POST-REVOLUTION PRELATES.

1. Archibald Campbell, 1721. This Prelate was son of Lord Neil Campbell, second son of Archibald Marquis of Argyle, who was beheaded at Edinburgh in 1661.

conar.

Dr Johnson says of him, that he began life by engaging in Monmouth's rebellion, and to escape the law, lived sometime at Surinam. When he returned he became zealous for episcopacy and monarchy; and at the Revolution adhered not only to the non-jurors, but to those who refused to communicate with the Church of England, or to be present at any worship where the usurper was mentioned as king. He had been long in priest's orders, when, in 1711, he was consecrated Bishop at Dundee, by Bishops Rose, Douglas, and FalIn 1721 he was elected by the Clergy of Aberdeen to be their Diocesan; but disagreeing with the majority of his brethren on the subject of usages, he resigned in 1724. He resided principally in London, where he acted as a Scottish Bishop, and in that capacity was of much service to the Church; promoting by his activity, and through means of his connections, the charitable fund, which was a great support to the poorer Clergy in their straitened circumstances. He seems to have been a talented, though eccentric man; very curious and inquisitive, but credulous. He was several times apprehended on account of his political tenets, and died in London in 1744, about 75 years old.

Bishop Campbell wrote a work on the Intermediate State, the title of which was: The Doctrines of a Middle State between Death and the Resurrection: Of Prayers for the Dead: And the Necessity of Purification; plainly proved from the Holy Scriptures, and the Writings of the Fathers of the Primitive Church, &c. &c. Honourable* Archibald Campbell.' Folio, 1721.

By the

2. James Gadderar, 1724. He was originally minister of Kil

* According to modern usage, Bishop Campbell had no claim to this distinction, as the younger sons of Dukes and Marquises are merely titular by courtesy themselves, and cannot transmit any distinction to their children.

maurs, in the county of Ayr, whence he was driven by the rabbling mob immediately after the Revolution. He was consecrated in London on the 24th of February 1712, by Bishops Hickes (the celebrated non-juror), Falconar, and Campbell. He lived chiefly in London. until 1724, when he received the sanction of the Church to officiate as Bishop of Aberdeen. About this time, a very singular project occupied the attention of some of the non-juring Bishops, both in England and Scotland; which was to form an union between the Greek Church in Turkey and Russia, and the unestablished Episcopalians in Great Britain. Serious negotiations were entered into with several Oriental Patriarchs; but the scheme, to which Bishop Gadderar gave his most zealous support, eventually came to nothing. Bishop Gadderar died in 1733.

3. William Dunbar, 1733. This Prelate was Minister of Cruden, in Aberdeenshire, before the Revolution, and suffered deprivation. He was consecrated at Edinburgh, 18th June 1727, by Bishops Gadderar, Miller, and Rattray, and elected by the Clergy of Moray to be their Diocesan, and on the death of Bishop Gadderar, took charge of the diocese of Aberdeen, where he fully maintained the respect previously shown to his character, and died in 1746.

4. Andrew Gerard, 1747. He was a presbyter in Aberdeen; elected by the Clergy there as their Bishop, and consecrated at Cupar in Fife, on the 17th of July 1747, by Bishops White, Falconar, Rait, and Alexander. He died in 1767.

5. Robert Kilgour, 1768. On the death of Bishop Gerard, the Clergy elected the rev. Robert Kilgour, at that time presbyter in Peterhead. He was consecrated at Cupar in Fife, 21st Sept. 1768, by Bishops Falconar, Rait, and Alexander. He was elected Primus on the death of Bishop Falconar in 1784; but resigned that, as well as his Episcopal charge, in favour of his coadjutor, Bishop Skinner. He died in 1790.

6. John Skinner, 1786. This distinguished divine was the son of a clergyman in Aberdeenshire, of eminent talent and literary fame. He was first minister near Ellon, and called to Aberdeen in 1775. In 1782, having been elected coadjutor to Bishop Kilgour, whose age and infirmities precluded him from an efficient discharge of the pastoral duties of the See, he was consecrated by Bishops Kilgour, Ross, and Petrie. Four years afterwards, the entire superintendence of the diocese was made over to him, Bishop Kilgour retaining only the official rank of Primus; and to this also Bishop Skinner suc