Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 03.djvu/121

 from which office, however, he derived but small emolument.

[Ansted's Channel Islands; Cæsarea; Hook's Archbishops, vol. v.; Falle's History of Jersey.]  BANDINEL, JAMES (1783–1849), writer on slavery, born in 1783, was son of James Bandinel, a doctor of St. Peter's, Oxford. Bulkeley Bandinel [q. v.], keeper of the Bodleian Library, was his elder brother. James Bandinel was a clerk in the Foreign Office for some fifty years, from which he retired shortly before his death on a full pension. In 1842 he published ‘Some Account of the Trade in Slaves from Africa, as connected with Europe and America,’ and dedicated the book to Lord Aberdeen, the then foreign secretary. It describes, first, ‘the introduction of the African slave trade into Europe, and progress of it among European nations;’ secondly, ‘the abandonment of the slave trade by England;’ and thirdly, ‘the efforts of the British government with other governments to effect the entire extinction of the trade.’

James Bandinel died on 29 July 1849 at his residence in Berkeley Square, at the age of 66.

[Annual Register, 1849; Bandinel, On the Slave Trade, 1849.]  BANIM, JOHN (1798–1842), novelist, dramatist, and poet, was born in the city of Kilkenny, 3 April 1798. His father pursued the double occupation of farmer and trader in all the necessaries of a sportsman's and angler's outfit. Prospering in business, he was enabled to give his sons, Michael [q. v.] and John, a good education. The latter, who was the younger son, was sent, after some preparatory training, to Kilkenny college. There he evinced aptitude for poetical composition, as well as talent for drawing and painting. Desiring to adopt the profession of artist, Banim was sent in the year 1813 to Dublin, where he became a pupil in the drawing academy of the Royal Dublin Society. He was constant in his attendance at the academy, and ‘he had the honour to receive the highest prize in the gift of the committee for his drawings placed in the first exhibition held after his year of entrance’ ( Life). On leaving Dublin he became a teacher of drawing in Kilkenny, and while pursuing his profession was the subject of a romantic but unfortunate love-attachment. It had a very pathetic end in the death of the lady, and Banim embalmed his grief in the best of his early poems. The mental agony and bodily pain he endured at this time obtained so firm a hold upon his system that he was never afterwards able to shake off their evil effects. Driven almost to despair, he now spent several years unhappily and unprofitably. It became obvious to his friends that a complete change was essential, and accordingly in 1820 Banim removed to Dublin. It was largely owing to his efforts that the artists of the Irish capital obtained a charter of incorporation and a government grant, and to mark their sense of his services they presented Banim with an address and a considerable sum of money. Giving up the artistic profession, and devoting himself to literature, he wrote, in addition to much ephemeral work, a lengthy poem entitled ‘The Celt's Paradise,’ which was very favourably regarded by Lalor Sheil and Sir Walter Scott. This was followed by an unsuccessful dramatic composition, ‘Turgesius;’ but a second tragedy which he shortly produced, ‘Damon and Pythias,’ deservedly brought him high reputation. Although ‘Damon and Pythias’ is frequently stated to have been the joint work of Banim and Sheil, Banim's biographer affirms that the only assistance rendered by Sheil to the young dramatist consisted of an introduction and recommendation to a manager. ‘Damon and Pythias’ was performed at Covent Garden theatre 28 May 1821, with Macready and Charles Kemble in the principal parts. The success of this tragedy enabled Banim to pay his debts.

In the year 1822 John and Michael Banim conceived the idea of writing a series of novels which should do for the Irish what Scott had done for the Scotch in his ‘Waverley Novels.’ Hitherto such Irish characters as had appeared in fiction had been ridiculous and grotesque. There was a wealth of Irish feeling, sentiment, and patriotism which had heretofore been untouched and unrepresented, but which the Banim brothers now began to utilise and explore. John had now married, and, having settled in London, was working as a periodical writer, and contributing largely to the ‘Literary Register.’ He wrote another tragedy, ‘The Prodigal,’ which was accepted at Drury Lane (with parts cast for Kean and Young), but never performed. Towards the close of 1823, Banim was enabled to be of service to another Irishman of genius, Gerald Griffin, who had gone up to London for the purpose of pursuing a literary career. A series of essays by Banim, under the title of ‘Revelations of the Dead-Alive,’ met with great favour in 1824. The year following appeared the first series of the ‘O'Hara Tales,’ which at once enjoyed