BANFFSHIRE, northeast county of Scotland, bounded on the north by Moray firth, nn the east and south by Aberdeenshire, and on the west by Elgin and Inverness. Its area is 404,053 acres, or about 63o square miles. The northern half is mostly fine, open and undulating, with rich, highly cultivated soil. The south is mountainous with extensive farms in fertile glens. Some moun tains are forested, some present rock and copse, others brown heath. The highest is Cairngorm, on the confines of Banff and Inverness (4,o84f t. ), famous for amber-coloured quartz crystals, the "cairngorms" of Scottish jewellery. This and other summits belong to the most extensive of several masses of granite found, with other igneous intrusions, among the crystalline schists of sedimentary origin of the eastern highland sequence which cover most of the county. These sedimentary rocks form belts trend ing generally north-east and south-west, and include slates and black schists, the main limestone and the quartzites. The last, probably the highest members of the series, form ridges owing to more rapid erosions of softer rocks between them. No great rivers belong wholly to Banffshire. For a considerable part of their course the Spey forms the western and the Deveron the eastern boundary. The short Banffshire streams are Avon (or Aven), Fiddich, Isla, Buckie, Deckford (with a series of cascades), and Livet. Most of them are stocked with trout, and the Spey and Deveron are famous for their salmon. The fine glens include Glen Aven, Glen Barry, Glen Fiddich, Glen Isla, Glen Livet and Glen Rinnes. The largest lochs are in the extreme south.
Cairns are found in the districts of Rothiemay, Ballindalloch, Boharm, Glen Livet and elsewhere. "Cairn" also occurs in many place names. Many conflicts took place between Norse invaders and the Scots. Near Cullen a fierce encounter occurred in 960, and a sculptured stone at Mortlach is said to commemorate a signal victory gained by Malcolm II. over the Norsemen in Iwo. The shire was the scene of much strife after the Reformation. In Glen Livet the Roman Catholics under the marquess of Huntly worsted the Protestants under the earl of Argyll. From 1624 to 1645 was a period of almost incessant struggle; Covenanting troubles com bined with the frequent conflicts of the clans ; but the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 left the county comparatively untouched, and thereafter it became settled.
The population of Banffshire in 191 i was 61,402 and in 1931 In 1931 there were 156 persons speaking Gaelic and Eng lish. The chief towns are Banff (pop. in 3,489), Buckie (8,688), Keith (4,424) and Macduff (3,276). Banffshire, with Aberdeen and Kincardine shires, forms a sheriffdom, and there is a resident sheriff-substitute at Banff, who sits also at Keith and Buckie. A notable incident in the history of education in Banff shire was the bequest of James Dick (1743-1828), a West Indian merchant, who left over f I I o,000 to promote the higher learning of the schoolmasters of this county, Aberdeenshire, and Elginshire, the income to be distributed among dominies qualified by exam ination to become beneficiaries.
The soil is in general rich and productive, yielding fair crops of wheat, and excellent crops of barley, oats, etc., and the grass and green crops (especially turnips) are equally abundant. Oats is the predominant crop, but the demands of distillers keep up the acre age of barley. Cattle and stock form the staple agricultural in dustry. There is also a considerable amount of dairy farming. Among landlords who did much to encourage agricultural enter prise and so to plant and reclaim lands were the earls of Fife and the earls of Findlater, afterwards earls of Seafield. It was a Sea field who, in 1846, received the honorary gold medal of the High land and Agricultural Society of Scotland, for his immense and thriving plantations of useful trees, amounting in the preceding 35 years to nearly 32 millions, in the counties of Banff, Moray and Nairn.
Distilleries are numerous and famed. A fishing and miscellane ous trade is done at the harbours of Banff, Macduff, Buckie, Gar denstown, Portsoy, Cullen and Port Gordon; and fishing is also carried on at numerous creeks or harbours. The cod and herring fisheries are specially important at Buckie. The fishery districts centre in Banff and Buckie. A good deal of building is carried on at coast stations. The main limestone has been extensively quarried, as at Fordyce, near Grange, and at Keith and Dufftown; ing is carried on, and the slates (for roofing) and the granite have also been worked.
The systems of the L.N.E. and the L.M.S. railways serve the chief towns of the county and provide communication in one direction with Aberdeen, and in another with Elgin, Nairn and Inverness.
HIGHWAY extends from Banff, Alberta, Canada, to Win dermere in British Columbia, and is about Isom. in length. Opened in 1923, it was the first motor route built across the central Rockies through magnificent scenery. It forms a part of the Trans-Canada highway which extends south to Cranbrook and connects with Spokane, Washington, U.S.A., and its course through Vermilion and Sinclair Passes is highly picturesque. Castle Moun tain and Radium Hot Springs, which lie in its path, add to its scenic interest.