paper, combs, preserved provisions, oats, barley, and live and dead cattle. In last quarter of the 20th Century and into the 21st the North Sea oil industry was to become a large employer and overseas revenue earner. Much of the industry's onshore facilities are based in Aberdeen. Transport On the south Aberdeen city has rail links with Stonehaven, Montrose and Dundee, and to the north-west a line runs to Inverness via Huntly, Keith and Elgin. Branch lines from various points used to run to several smaller towns, e.g. from Aberdeen to Ballater by Deeside, from Aberdeen to Fraserburgh (with a branch at Maud for Peterhead and at Ellon for Cruden Bay and Boddam), from Kintore to Alford, and from Inverurie to Old Meldrum and also to Macduff. These lines all closed, largely as a result of the Beeching Axe in the 1960s, they now serve as local pathways or bicycle tracks. By sea Aberdeenshire has regular communication with the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. The highest of the macadamized roads crossing the eastern Grampians rises to a point above sea-level. Over the 20th Century road and air communications have improved. Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, approximately north-west of Aberdeen city centre. A total of nearly 3.5 million passengers used the airport in 2015, a fall of 6.8% compared with 2014. Population and government In 1801 the population numbered 284,036 and in 1901 304,439 (of whom 159,603 were females), or 154 persons to the square mile (59/km2). In 1901 Aberdeenshire had 8 persons who spoke Gaelic only, and 1333 who spoke Gaelic and English. The chief towns include Aberdeen (population in 1901, 153,503), Bucksburn (2231), Fraserburgh (9105), Huntly (4136), Inverurie (3624), Peterhead (11,794), Turriff (2273). The county total was 137, 962 in 1971. In 1911 the Supreme Court of Justiciary sat in Aberdeen to try cases from the counties of Aberdeen, Banff and Kincardine. The three counties are under a sheriff, and two sheriffs-substitute reside in Aberdeen, and also sat at Fraserburgh, Huntly, Peterhead and Turriff. The sheriff courts occurred in Aberdeen and Peterhead. The higher branches of education have always been thoroughly taught in the schools throughout the shire, and pupils have long been in the habit of going directly from the schools to the university. According to the 1911 Encyclopædia, Aberdeenshire people have a quick, sharp, rather angry accent. The