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GEORGE BANCROFT

till 1830. The first volume of his History of the United States was published in 1834, and two other volumes soon followed. The next five volumes came out from 1852 to 1860, and in 1866 and in 1874 two more volumes were published, which bring the history to the preliminary treaty of peace with Great Britain in 1782. Two other volumes, on the formation of the constitution, appeared in 1882. Bancroft was collector of the port of Boston under President Van Buren; under President Polk he was secretary of the navy and minister to England. In 1867 he was appointed minister to Berlin, where he remained until recalled at his own request in 1874. He died at Washington, D. C., Jan. 17, 1891.

Bancroft, Hubert Howe, an American historian, was born at Granville, Ohio, in 1832, and settled in San Francisco, where, in the book business, he made a large fortune. He collected a library of 60,000 volumes, mainly on early American history. He was so fortunate as to secure the library of the Mexican Emperor Maximilian. His well-known work in five volumes, The Native Races of the Pacific States, forms the first part of his immense History of the Pacific States of North America, complete in forty volumes.

Banff. A charming and very fashionable summer resort on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 922 miles west of Winnipeg and 560 miles east of Vancouver. Famous for its hot sulphur springs and grand majestic scenery. The National Park of Canada is at Banff. The journey from Winnipeg to the Pacific coast is generally broken at Banff.

Bangalore' (bdn'ga-lor'}, a strongly fortified town of Mysore, one of the native states in India, in a district of the same name. When Mysore was occupied by England in 1831, Bangalore was made the capital, and when, in 1881, Mysore was restored to the rule of its native prince, the district of Bangalore was exempted from native control. The city lies 3,000 feet above the sea, and is consequently very healthy. Silk and carpets are the principal manufactures. Population 189,485. The district of Bangalore has a population of 669,139.

Bangkok', the capital of Siam, situated on both banks of the Menam. One third the population are Chinese, who control the large trade of the city. For the right to trade there the Chinese pay a poll-tax of about three dollars every third year, which exempts them from the half-yearly military service which all other foreign residents have to give.

A large number of the houses are built on rafts in the river. They are made of bamboo boards, wicker work or palm leaves, usually with a veranda in front and a wing at each end. On land the houses are raised on piles six or eight feet from the ground and reached by ladders. The walls of the city are about six miles in circumference. The traffic of the city is carried on mainly by canals, there being only a few streets. Bangkok is the residence of the king of Siam. The palace is surrounded by a high wall, nearly a mile long, which incloses temples, public offices, a theater and accommodation for several thousand soldiers and for about 3,000 women, 600 of whom are the wives of the king. The temples of the city are very numerous, decorated in the most gorgeous style and served by 20,000 priests. The chief exports are rice, sugar, pepper, hides, ivory and feathers, while the imports are tea, silk, opium, hardware, machinery and glassware. The building of steamships, the introduction of gas into the royal palaces and the houses of the noblemen, the starting of a regular mail to the city in 1884, followed by Siam joining the International Postal Union in 1885, show the recent progress. A railway is now running from Bangkok to Paknam (14 miles in length), while one runs from the capital to Korat (165 miles); there are also electric tramways now in the kingdom. Telegraphs connect Bangkok with Burma and Cambodia. Population is 628,675.

Ban'gor, a city and port in the state of Maine, on the Penobscot River, about sixty miles from its mouth. The harbor is accessible during the open season to all except the very largest shipping vessels. Bangor is one of the largest lumber stations in the world. About 200,000,000 feet are yearly shipped during the season of eight months. The city Jias some shipbuilding, several sawmills, furniture factories, foundries, etc. When under the English government it was called Kenduskeag. Its present name was derived from the well-known tune of that name. Population, 24,803.

Bangs, John Kendrick, (1862), American humorist, born at Yonkers, New York, and educated at Columbia College. He early took to literature as a profession, and has been connected editorially or as a writer with Harper's Weekly and Magazine, with Life, the Metropolitan Magazine, etc. He has written a number of amusing and entertaining books, among the best known of which are A Houseboat on the Styx, The Pursuit of the Houseboat, Mr. Bonaparte of Corsica, Coffee and Repartee, Uncle Sam, Trustee, The Idiot at Home, The Bicyclers and Other Farces, Toppleton's Client, A Rebellious Heroine, Olympian Nights and The Enchanted' Typewriter.

Banks (from the Italian banco, meaning a bench). The Babylonians and Chinese as