Hockex. — Earliest Literature relating to N.Z. 625 



publish. Under a solemn promise that he would merely 

 peruse and make no other use of it, Mr. Banks lent him his 

 brother's journal, which, naturally enough, he had expressed 

 a strong desire to read. This secured, Parkinson lost no 

 time in preparing it and some sketches for the press, and the 

 work thus compiled was ready for issue much in advance of 

 Dr. Hawkesworth's. An injunction was at once applied for 

 and obtained in the High Court of Chancery, suspending its 

 publication ; but meanwhile seventy copies had been issued. 

 These are now extremely rare. After argument, the injunction 

 w-as annulled ; but this involved a delay which was fatal to 

 the sale and success of the book, supplanted as it speedily was 

 by Hawkesworth's fuller and much more interesting account. 

 The introduction to Parkinson's Journal recites the whole dis- 

 pute, of course from Parkinson's point of view, and the reader 

 would not hesitate to conclude that poor Parkinson had been 

 shamefully oppressed by the wealthy and powerful Mr. Banks 

 and Dr. Fothergill — a conclusion naturally enough expressed 

 by Mr. Colenso in his article. But eleven years later a dif- 

 ferent complexion was placed on the matter ; for in 1784 ap- 

 peared a fresh edition, or, rather, a reissue, of the work, in 

 which the calumnious statements were refuted by Dr. Fother- 

 gill, who further showed that Parkinson had been guilty of 

 treachery and ingratitude. To settle all demands, and to pre- 

 vent the possibility of any dispute, it was proved that Sir 

 Joseph Banks had given Parkinson the liberal sum of £500, 

 had permitted him to select from the curiosities, and to peruse 

 his brother's journals — a confidence which, as we have seen, 

 was grossly abused. Parkinson, who, it would seem, had 

 always been in necessitous circumstances, became insane, and 

 after some years' detention died in a lunatic asylum, leaving 

 his family unprovided for. Dr. Fothergill, as a co-religionist, 

 and as one brought in this curious way into close contact with 

 him, now acted generously to the distressed family. He also 

 bought from the executors the unsold portion of the Journal, 

 numbering nearly four hundred copies. These, with a valu- 

 able compendium of previous South- Sea voyages and other 

 additions, form the issue of 1784. The book is of much value, 

 and the plates, thirteen of which relate to New Zealand, are of 

 great beauty : in a few T copies they are coloured. 



Eeturning from this digression : Hawkesworth's edition 

 met with a large and immediate sale, and was at once trans- 

 lated into French and German. To Banks's liberality aud 

 public spirit its excellence is largely due. Not only is the 

 history of the voyage drawn largely from his journal, but the 

 illustrations, with the exception of the charts, are supplied 

 from the admirable drawings of the two artists, Parkinson 

 and Buchan, whom he engaged to accompany him round the 

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