400 



HANFFSHIIlh BANK. 



and is deemed the most fashionable residence north 

 of Aberdeen. The town-house, which was built in 

 1798, is a very iiandsome building, with an elegant 

 spire. The ancient castle, which occupies the MIIU- 

 init of a iiinuiid wiihin the town, exhibits many signs 

 of its former strength, although used at present as a 

 mansion l>y the earl of Seafield. onre heritable sheriff 

 of the county. The harlxiur of Han IF, which was very 

 defective, has been recently much improved. Manu- 

 factures of thread, cotton, stockings, rope, and sail 

 loth are carried on here, and many of the inhabi- 

 tants are occupied in the salmon and white fisheries. 

 In 1831, the population of the town and parish 

 amounted to 371 1. 



BANFFSHIRK; a county in the north of Scotland, 

 bounded on the N. by the ocean, on the W. by 

 the shires of Moray and part of Inverness ; on the 

 S. by Inverness, and on the E. by the shire of 

 Aberdeen. The southern part of this county is very 

 mountainous : but the northern part, although agree- 

 ably diversified with hill and dale, is comparatively 

 level, and very fertile. The soil is, for the most part, 

 a rich loam, or deep clay, very retentive of moisture. 

 The principal rivers are the Spey and Deveron, the 

 Isla, the Conglass, Avon, and the Fiddich ; besides 

 which there are a number of tributary streams, which, 

 although occasionally mischievous by their overflow, 

 add materially to the fertility and ornament of the 

 county. There are several mountains, which rise in 

 altitude as they recede from the coast, the most cele- 

 brated being that of Cairngorum, which attains an 

 elevation of 4050 feet above the level of the sea. 

 The climate partakes of the general character of tliat 

 of the eastern coast of North Britain, with greater 

 M' verity as the distance increases from the sea. Agri- 

 culture is, notwithstanding, carried on with great 

 spirit, although but little wheat is raised in the inland 

 parishes. The chief crops are bear, oats, flax, turnips, 

 potatoes, and pease. Black cattle are reared in great 

 numbers, and with grain, especially oats, constitutes 

 the principal articles of export. The salmon caught 

 in the Spey and Deveron, also constitute a consider- 

 able article of traffic, and great quantities of salt cod, 

 ling, skate, and haddock, are disposed of on the coast 

 south of Aberdeen. The imports are hemp, corn, 

 wool, wood, with wine, and other articles of luxury 

 and fashion. The chief employment of the inhabi- 

 tants of a manufacturing description consists in spin- 

 ning flax. White and dyed threads are manufactured 

 to some extent; and on a small scale, woollen and cot- 

 ton goods, linen, and hose. Among the natural pro- 

 ductions of this county, limestone is the most preva- 

 lent, being diffused over the whole county ; marble 

 also abounds in several places, especially at Portsoy, 

 where a species is found, which possesses a brilliancy 

 like the Labrador spar, and in a particular light shows 

 a purple and bluish tint. When polished it exhibits 

 figures which have a remote resemblance to Arabic 

 characters, a quality first remarked in Arabia, where 

 it is also found, and which induced the Arabs to give 

 it the name of" Moses' Tables," supposing they had 

 found pieces of the tablet on which the decalogue 

 was originally written. Two chimney-pieces were 

 formed of it for the palace at Versailles, and it is still 

 wrought into chimney-pieces, monuments, and toys. 

 Free-stone, marl, slate, and various kinds of granite 

 are likewise productions of this county, and rock 

 crystals, and the topazes called, from the mountain of 

 that name, Cairngorums, are found in various districts. 

 The principal land proprietors in Banffshire are the 

 duke of Gordon, the earl of Fife, and the earl of Sea- 

 field, all of whom have fine seats therein. The two 

 royal burghs are Banff and Cullen. In 1831 the po- 

 pulation of Banffshire was as follows . -Families 

 10,8.05, males 22,743, females 25,861, total 48,604. 



BANGOR ; a city of North Wales, in Caernarvonshire 

 237 miles from London, situated at the foot of a 

 rock, in a narrow and fertile vale, near the northern 

 entrance of the Meuai Strait, and adjacent to the 

 mouth of the river Ogwen. It consists of one princi- 

 pal street, nearly a mile in length, with several 

 smaller avenues opening into it from the water side. 

 '1 lie principal public buildings are the cathedral, 

 which was completed in 15:>:i, the bishop's palace, 

 deanery house, free school, market house, assembly 

 rooms, &c. Since the construction of that admirable 

 work of art, the Menai bridge, Bangor has risen into 

 some importance, being visited by upwards of 50,000 

 persons annually, who remain for longer or shorter 

 periods. Its proximity to the sea has given Bangor 

 the advantage of becoming a favourite bathing place ; 

 and the views of Beaumaris Bay and the Caernarvon 

 mountains from Garth Point, the promenade of the 

 inhabitants, are of the most picturesque, bold, and 

 sublime character. Population in 1831, 4751. 



BANUOR ; a post town of the United States and 

 capital of the county of Penobscot, in Maine, on 

 the W. side of Penobscot river, at the head of the 

 tide and of navigation ; 52 miles N. of Owl's-head, 

 at the mouth of Penobscot bay ; lat. 44 45' N. ; 

 Ion. 68 45' W. ; population in 1820, 1221 ; in 1825, 

 2002. Its situation is pleasant, and very advanta- 

 geous for commerce. It is a flourishing town, and 

 contains a theological seminary with two professors, 

 a court house, and other public buildings. The river 

 is navigable, as far as this town, for vessels of 300 

 or 400 tons. 



BANGDE ; a kind of opiate, much used throughout 

 the East as a means of intoxication. The Persians 

 call it beng. It is made of the leaf of a kind of wild 

 hemp, in different ways. 



BANIANS ; a name formerly given by Europeans to 

 almost all the Hindoos, because baniya, the term 

 whence it is derived, signifies a banker, the class with 

 which Europeans had most frequent intercourse. It 

 is one of the mixed classes, sprung from a father of 

 the medical and mother of the commercial class. The 

 English sailors call banian days those days on which 

 they have no flesh meat. Probably the name has 

 a reference to the habits of this class ; because, 

 before people were acquainted with the abstinence of 

 all the Hindoos, it was thought to be confined to the 

 Banians. 



BANISHMENT. See Exile. 



BANK. The term bank, in reference to commerce, 

 implies a place of deposit of money. Banks, like 

 most commercial institutions, originated in Italy, 

 where, in the infancy of European commerce, the 

 Jews were wont to assemble in the market-places of 

 the principal towns, seated on benches, ready to lend 

 money ; and the term bank is derived from the Italian 

 word banco (bench). Banks are of three kinds, viz., of 

 deposit, of discount, and of circulation. In some cases, 

 all these functions are exercised by the same estab- 

 lishment ; sometimes two of them, and, in other in- 

 stances, only one. 1. A bank of deposit receives 

 money to keep for the depositor, until he draws it 

 out. This is the first and most obvious purpose of 

 these institutions. The goldsmiths of London were 

 formerly bankers of this description ; they took the 

 money, bullion, plate, &c. of depositors, merely for 

 safe keeping. 2. Another branch of banking busi- 

 ness is the discounting of promissory notes and bills 

 of exchange, or the lending of money on mortgage, 

 pawn, or other security. 3. A bank of circulation 

 issues bills or notes of its own, intended to be the cir- 

 culating currency or medium of exchanges, instead 

 of gold and silver. Banks are also divided into 

 public and private ; but what is a public bank, is not 

 very definitely settled. Where the government of a 



