In 1747 he undertook a journey to Vienna, in company with the bishop of Volterra, to whom he acted in the capacity of secretary. He was introduced to the emperor, and took the opportunity of dedicating to that monarch his Specimen Litteraturce Florentines, which was then printing at Florence. On his return he took orders, and settled at Rome, passing the whole of his time in the library of the Vatican, and in those of the Cardinals Passionei and Corsini. The famous obelisk of Augustus, at that time disinterred from the ruins of the Campus Martius, was described by Bandini in a learned folio volume De Obelisco Augusii. Shortly after he was compelled to leave Rome >on account of his health and returned to Florence, where he was appointed librarian to the valuable library bequeathed to the public by the Abbe Marucelli. In 1756 he was preferred by the emperor to a prebend at Florence, and appointed principal librarian to the Laurentian library. During forty-four years he continued to discharge the duties of this situation, and died in 1800, generally esteemed and regretted. On his deathbed he founded a public school, and bequeathed the remainder of his fortune to other charitable purposes. The most important of his numerous works are the Catalogus Codd. MSS. Grcec., Lat., Ital., Bib., Laurent., 8 vols., 17G7-1778, and the
Vita e Lettere d Amerigo Vespucci, 1745.BANDON, or Bandonbridge, an inland town and parliamentary borough of Ireland, in the county of Cork, and twenty miles by rail from the county town, is situated on both sides of the River Bandon, which is here crossed by a bridge of six arches. It has two churches, a hand some Roman Catholic chapel, Protestant and Methodist places of worship, a convent, two market-houses, a spacious quay on the south side of the river, an infirmary, a hospital, a dispensary, several public libraries and reading-rooms, an endowed school, a court-house, a bridewell, and barracks. Its manufactures of woollen and cotton goods have much declined ; but there are distilleries, breweries, tanneries, and flour-mills. Population in 1871, 6131.
BANFF, the county town of Banffshire, is a place of great antiquity ; according to tradition, it was at times the residence of Malcolm Canvnore. It was visited by David I. and his son Henry ; and there is a charter of Malcolm IV., signed at Banff the eleventh year of his reign, which corresponds with 1163. The church was given to the monastery of Arbroath by "William the Lion, and a convent of Carmelite or White Friars is men tioned in a charter by Robert I., 1324. The town is said to have lost many of its ancient grants, but these, it is added, were renewed in 1324 by King Robert the Bruce, and in 1372 by Robert II. The natural situation of the town is beautiful, having its south-eastern exposure on a gentle slope, the wide blue sea on its N., the River Deveron on the E., and on the S. the richly -wooded country with the magnificent mansion and grounds of the earl of Fife. The streets a^e well and regularly built and paved, and are remarkable for their cleanliness. The principal buildings are Banff Castle, a plain modern building, belonging to the earl of Seafield, erected upon the site of an old castle, in which Archbishop Sharp was born ; the county court buildings; the town-house, surmounted by a spire 100 feet high ; a prison; parish church, Episcopal church and parsonage, Free church, United Presbyterian, Independent, Methodist, and Roman Catholic places of worship ; Chal mers Hospital: a mason lodge, of tasteful architecture; the academy, a modern edifice of Grecian design, capable of containing 600 scholars, to which there is attached an extensive museum. There are large and well-conducted seminaries for young ladies, also several libraries, a club-room, branch banks and a savings-bank, public baths hotels, custom-house, gas and water works, <tc. j The Banffshire Journal, a weekly newspaper, with an ex tensive circulation, is published on Tuesdays. At one period Banff carried on a considerable manufactory of stockings and linen yarn. A branch of the Great North of Scotland Railway, which leaves Inveramsay Junction and terminates at Macduff, is the direct communication from Aberdeen, and has a station at Bridge of Banff. Another line of railway, which has its terminus at the harbour of Banff, runs in connection with Portsoy, and joins the Great North of Scotland Railway at Grange, near Keith. The principal exports are grain, cattle, salmon, herrings, haddocks, pork, butter, and potatoes. The river fishing is the property of the earl of Fife, with a sea-line extending a considerable distance on each side of the river mouth. The burgh is under the jurisdiction of a provost, three bailies, and five councillors, who manage all the town s affairs. Mr Alexander Cassie of London, a native of Banff, some thirty years ago, left to the poor of the town about 20,000, the interest of which is divided twice a year among the poor. A few years ago, Mr Alexander Chalmers of Clunie, a general merchant and shipowner in Banff, left about 70,000 to build and endow a hospital for sick and destitute. The building, which is near the harbour, has somewhat the appearance of Donaldson s Hospital at Edinburgh.
The town of Macduff, which is fast rising into importance, has a good harbour, branch banks, &c. It is about a mile to the E. of Banff, with which it has communication by a stone bridge of seven arches across the Deveron. Its trade in shipping, <kc., is more extensive than that of Banff , to which burgh it was united by the Reform Act. It was an old burgh of barony, called Doune, but soon after it was acquired by the Duff family its name was changed to Mac- duff. A harbour was then erected, and in 1783 it was made a burgh by George III. Macduff is locally situated within the parish of Gamrie, and has an independent municipal government. Banff and Macduff unite with Elgin, Cullen, Inverurie, Kintore, and Peterhead, in sending a member to parliament. Population within the parliamentary bound aries in 1871, about 40CO; municipality, 3557. The weekly market-day of Banff is Friday, on which day a corn market is held ; and there are two annual fairs.
BANFFSHIRE, a maritime county in the N.E. of Scot land, lying between lat. 57 6 and 57 42 N., and long. 2^ 15 and 3 40 N., and bounded on the N. by the Moray Firth, E. and S. by Aberdeenshire, and W. by Morayshire and part of Inverness-shire. It has an area of 686 square miles, or 439,219 statute acres, its extent from N. to S. being 50 mites, and from E. to W. 32 miles, its average breadth not exceeding 14 miles. It contains 21 parishes, and parts of 10 others. Its royal and parliamentary burghs are Banff, Macduff, and Cullen ; and its principal harbours are at Banff, Macduff, Cullen, Portsoy, Buckie, and Portgordon. The parliamentary burghs are contri butory to Elgin, and the county returns a member to par liament. The parliamentary constituency in 1874-5 was 1737. Many of the schoolmasters, with those of the coun ties of Aberdeen and Moray, share in Dick s bequest.
The lower district is mostly a fine open country of a rich, deep, and highly-cultivated soil, agreeably diversified with gentle risings and young plantations. The upper district is mountainous and, at a distance, wears a bleak, forbidding appearance. But the scene changes on a nearer approach. Extensive farms are found embosomed in its fertile and well-cultivated glens. Some of the mountains are covered with trees in full luxuriance of growth ; some presenting a beautiful intermixture of rock and copse, while others are covered with brown heath. The Spey flows along its western, and the Deveron along its eastern boundary ; and
both viekl a considerable revenue from their salmon-fish-
