Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/182

156 Oration delivered before the New York Historical Society, November 20, 1854&rdquo; (New York, 1854); &ldquo;Proceedings of the First Assembly of Virginia, 1619; Communicated, with an Introductory Note, by George Bancroft&rdquo;; &ldquo;Collections of the New York Historical Society,&rdquo; second series, vol. iii., part i. (New York, 1857); &ldquo;Literary and Historical Miscellanies&rdquo; (New York, 1855); &ldquo;Memorial Address on the Life and Character of Abraham Lincoln, delivered at the request of both Houses of the Congress of America, before them, in the House of Representatives at Washington, on the 12th of February, 1866&rdquo; (Washington, 1866); and &ldquo;A Plea for the Constitution of the United States of America, Wounded in the House of its Guardians,&rdquo; by George Bancroft. Veritati Unice Litarem (New York, 1886). Among his other speeches and addresses may be mentioned a lecture on &ldquo;The Culture, the Support, and the Object of Art in a Republic,&rdquo; in the course of the New York historical society in 1852; one on &ldquo;The Office, Appropriate Culture, and Duty of the Mechanic&rdquo;; and to the &ldquo;American Cyclopædia&rdquo; Mr. Bancroft contributed a biography of Jonathan Edwards. Among those the least satisfied with the historian have been some of the descendants of eminent patriots (Greene, Reed, Rush, and others), whose merits have not, in the opinions of his censors, been duly recognized by Mr. Bancroft. That there should be entire agreement as regards the accuracy and candor of the narrator of the events of so many years, and those years full of the excitement of party faction, is not to be expected. The merits of the work are considered at length in a biography of Mr. Bancroft by the present writer (see Allibone's &ldquo;Dictionary of Authors&rdquo;), where the following opinions of eminent critics are quoted: Edward Everett says: &ldquo;A history of the United States by an American writer possesses a claim upon our attention of the strongest character. It would do so under any circumstances; but when we add that the work of Mr. Bancroft is one of the ablest of that class which has for years appeared in the English language; that it compares advantageously with the standard British historians; that as far as it goes it does such justice to its noble subject as to supersede the necessity of any future work of the same kind, and, if completed as commenced, will unquestionably forever be regarded both as an American and as an English classic, our readers would justly think us unpardonable if we failed to offer our humble tribute to its merit.&rdquo; Prof. Heeren writes: &ldquo;We know few modern historic works in which the author has reached so high an elevation at once as an historical inquirer and an historical writer. The great conscientiousness with which he refers to his authorities, and his careful criticism, give the most decisive proofs of his comprehensive studies. He has founded his narrative on contemporary documents, yet without neglecting works of later times and of other countries. His narrative is everywhere worthy of the subject. The reader is always instructed, often more deeply interested than by novels or romances. The love of country is the muse which inspires the author, but this inspiration is that of the severe historian, which springs from the heart.&rdquo; William H. Prescott says: &ldquo;We must confess our satisfaction that the favorable notice we took of Mr. Bancroft's labors on his first appearance has been fully ratified by his countrymen, and that his colonial history establishes his title to a place among the great historical writers of the age. The reader will find the pages of the present volume filled with matter not less interesting and important than the preceding.

He will meet with the same brilliant and daring style, the same picturesque sketches of character and incident, the same acute reasoning and compass of erudition.&rdquo; George Ripley writes: &ldquo;Mr. Bancroft is eminently a philosophical historian. He brings the wealth of a most varied learning in systems of thought and in the political and moral history of mankind to illustrate the early experiences of his country. He catalogues events in a manner which shows the possession of ideas, and not only describes popular movements picturesquely, but also analyzes them and reveals their spiritual signification.&rdquo; Baron Bunsen says: &ldquo;I read last night Bancroft with increasing admiration. What a glorious and interesting history has he given to his nation of the centuries before the independence!&rdquo; Von Raumer remarks: &ldquo;Bancroft, Prescott, and Sparks have effected so much in historical composition that no living European historian can take precedence of them, but rather might be proud and grateful to be admitted as a companion.&rdquo; Mr. Bancroft's last address was given at the opening of the third meeting of the American historical association, of which he was president, at Washington, 27 April, 1886. It was printed in the &ldquo;Magazine of American History&rdquo; for June. In a letter to the author of this article, dated Washington. D. C., 30 May, 1882, he wrote: &ldquo;I was trained to look upon life here as a season for labor. Being more than fourscore years old, I know the time for my release will soon come. Conscious of being near the shore of eternity, I await without impatience and without dread the beckoning of the hand which will summon me to rest.&rdquo;

BANCROFT, Hubert Howe, historian, b. in Granville, Ohio, 5 May, 1832. He entered the book-store of his brother-in-law, in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1848, and in 1852 was sent to California to establish a branch of the business there. He soon began to collect and preserve all available books and documents relating to the history of the Pacific states. As his affairs prospered, Mr. Bancroft's library increased, and in 1868, resigning to his brother, A. L. Bancroft, the management of his business, he devoted himself to the arrangement and publication of the material he had gathered. This consisted of books, maps, and printed and manuscript documents, including a large number of narratives dictated to Mr. Bancroft or his assistants by pioneers, settlers, and statesmen. The indexing of this vast collection employed six persons for ten years. The library was removed in 1881 to a fire-proof building, and now numbers about 45,000 volumes. Mr. Bancroft's plan is to publish thirty-nine volumes, embracing the history of the whole Pacific coast, from Central America to Alaska, and about one third of these have already appeared. The last volume published is the fifth of the history of California (San Francisco, 1886). Mr. Bancroft employs collaborators for the preliminary work, revising it all, and writing the most important chapters himself. In 1886 the publishing establishment of A. L. Bancroft & Company was burned, and the sheets of seven volumes of the history were destroyed.

BANDELIER, Adolph Francis Alphonse, archaeologist, b. in Bern, Switzerland, 6 Aug., 1840. His early education was very slight, and he never attended school after his eighth year. After settling in the United States, he became interested in several kinds of business, but without much success. His attention was then turned to archaeological pursuits, and his principal work has been performed under the direction of the Archaeological Institute of America. From 1880 to 1885 he