BALSHANDIE, lake in Lundie parish, Forfarshire.

BALTA, islet near east side of llnst Island, Shetland.

BALTA SOUND, land-locked bay and hamlet on east side of Unst Island, Shetland. The bay is 2 miles long, and looks like a lake ; and the hamlet has a post office, with money order and telegraph departments, under Lerwick, and a public school with about 57 scholars.

BALTHAYOCK, section of Kinnoul parish, with modern mansion, and ruined ancient strong fortalice, in eastern vicinity of Perth.

BALVAIG, stream, traversing Lochs Doine and Voil, and entering Loch Lubnaig, Perthshire.

BALVAIRD, a seat of the Earl of Mansfield, in Fife section of Abernethy parish.

BALVAIRD, seat near Rutherglen, Lanarkshire.

BALVENNY, dilapidated seat of the Earl of Fife, in Mortlach parish, Banffshire.

BALVICAR, village on Seil Island, Argyleshire.

BALVRAID, place, with public school, in Dornoch parish, Sutherland.

BALWAHANAID, hamlet in Weem parish, Perthshire.

BALWEARIE, remains of strong ancient baronial fqrtalice, in Abbotshall parish, Fife. The fortalice belonged to a branch of the family of Scott ; was the residence, in the 13th century, of the famous reputed wizard, Sir Michael Scott ; passed to the Melvilles ; and gives the title of baron to the Earl of Leveu.

BALWHERNE, village in Methven parish, Perthshire.

BAMBREICH.

BAMFF, seat of Sir James H. Ramsay, Bart., in Alyth parish, Perthshire.

BAMIRNIE.

BANAVIE, place on Caledonian Canal, 1J mile from the canal's end near Fort- \Villiam, Inverness-shire. It occurs immediately above the grand ascending series of 8 locks, and has a post office, with telegraph, under Fort-William, and a hotel.

BANCHORY, village on the Dee, 17 miles west-south-west of Aberdeen. It is modern and neatly built, attracts many summer visitors, and has a post office, with money order and telegraph departments, under Aberdeen, a railway station, 3 banking offices, a hotel, a town hall of 1873, an Established church with nearly 1200 sittings, a Free church of 1880, an Episcopalian church, and a public school with about 123 scholars. Pop. 681.

BANCHORY-DEVENICK, parish on lower reach of the Dee, in Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire. It has a post office under Aberdeen. The Aberdeenshire section comprises only 33 acres, and is within Aberdeen parliamentary burgh ; but it formerly comprised also other 2268 acres, transferred in 1867 to Peterculter. Pop. 1216. The Kincardineshire section contains Findon and Portlethen villages, includes 3 miles of coast, and is 5 miles long and 2f miles broad. Acres, 7739. Real property in 1880-81, 14, 412. Pop. , quoad civilia, 8101 ; quoad sacra, 1707. The coast is bold and rocky, and the interior is mostly rugged and stony. Chief things of interest are the reach of the Dee, and 2 ancient Caledonian stone circles. The churches are Established and Free. There are 2 public schools for 590 scholars, and 1 of them and class-rooms for 240 are new.

BANCHORY-TERNAN, parish on the Dee, in Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire. It contains Banchory village, and is 8J miles long and 7^' miles broad. Acres of the Aberdeenshire part, 1058. Real property in 1880-81 not reported. Acres of the Kincardineshire part, 19,021. Real property in 1880-81, 19,659. Pop. 3066. The northern section begins with the lofty isolated hill of Fare, but is elsewhere comparatively low ; the middle section is part of the valley of the Dee ; and the southern section includes a lofty hill-ridge, and terminates in one of the Grampians. Chief features are the mansions of Crathes Castle and Tilwhilly Castle, and the bed of the large drained lake of Leys. The churches and a central school are in Banchory village ; and there are altogether 5 public schools, with about 442 scholars.

BANCLEROCHE, 'seat at mouth of Kirkton Glen, Campsie parish, Stirlingshire.

BANDIRRAN, seat in Kettins parish, Forfarshire.

BANDIRRAN (SOUTH), detached section of Caputh parish, surrounded by Collace, Perthshire.

BANDRUM, seat in Saline parish, Fife.

BANETON, village in Kennoway parish, Fife.

BANFF, town and parish on coast of Banffshire. The town stands at mouth of river Deveron, 50 miles north of Aberdeen, and is a parliamentary burgh and a head port ; but as such comprises 2 towns, Banff proper and Macduff, about \ mile distant from each other, on opposite sides of the river, there spanned by an elegant seven-arched bridge. Banff proper is on the left bank, occupies a diversified hill slope, presents exteriorly a picturesque appearance, commands fine views, and has charming environs, including the noble park of Duff House. It sprang from a strong royal castle, as early as at least the time of Malcolm IV. ; it very soon became a royal burgh ; it now com-prises several well-built streets ; it was destined in 1877 to undergo handsome extension ; and it has a head post office with all departments, a railway station, 5 banking offices, 5 hotels, a steepled town hall, a recently erected court-house, an interesting museum, a large library, a fine recent bath-house, Established, Free, United Presbyterian, and Episcopalian churches ; Congregational, Wesleyan, United Brethren, and Roman Catholic chapels ; a burgh public school and a number of other public schools ; publishes a weekly newspaper; and carries on woollen manufacture, iron-founding, and other industries. The ancient castle figured much in history, and is now represented by a plain modern structure. The Established church is conspicuous, and contains 1500 sittings. The United Presbyterian church was erected in 1880, and superseded an old one. The Episcopalian church is small but elegant. The commerce of the port in 1879 comprised 459 British vessels, of 34,379 tons, and 34 foreign vessels, of 2788 tons, inward; and 441 British vessels, of 33,196 tons, and 26 foreign vessels, of 2029 tons, outward. Real property of the parliamentary burgh in!880-81, 12,192. Pop. of the royal burgh, 4185 ; of the parliamentary burgh, 7871. The parish is about 6^ miles long south-westward, but not more than about 2 miles broad. Acres, 6073. Real property of landward part in 1880-81, 6351. Pop. , quoad civilia, 5200 ; quoad sacra, 4810. The northern section rises nowhere higher than about 250 feet above sea-level, yet is picturesquely diversified ; and the southern section contains considerably higher ground, yet presents a very tame appearance. A prominent feature is the Earl of Fife's seat of Duff House, and a chief antiquity is Inchdrewer Castle. There are, for the burgh, the landward districts, and the quoad sacra parish of Ord, 13 schools, with accommodation for 1698 scholars.