SLR JOSEPH BANKS 

 AS A TRAVELLEK. 



By B. Daydox Jackson, Ph.D., Gen.Sec.L.S. 



I THixt that tlie first volume I read as a child for my own 

 ])|i-asure was an abridged acroutit of Cook's Voynges, so that from 



■ a very early period of my life I iuuo been fnmiliar with Banks's 

 adventures as a traveller. Since that time 1 have heen occupied 

 OM four different ocensions with the life of Banks. 



(1) In 187<J the Keeper of Botany in tlie British Museum, 

 JMr. \V. Carruthers, su'j;i;ested tliat I siiould undertake to draw up 

 an account of Banks's life, froiu the material then in the Museum. 

 The originals were only lodged Avith the Trustees, but it was 

 understood that on the death of Lady KnatchbuU the documents 

 w>'re to become the pro|)erty of the Nation. Meanwhile I was 



.given •'temporary possession'' of '23 folio vokimes, copied from 

 the originals just mentioned, by the daughters of Dawson Turner, 

 whose handwriting was to be seen in places. I then had plenty 

 of time and abundance of enthusiasm, and therefore set to work 

 with great energy. The first two volumes contained Banks's 

 journal of his voyage in the ' Endeavour,' 1760-71, and 1 made 



■copious extracts from the narrative which so greatly interested 

 me. For several months I continued my research, but gradually 

 I found that the freshness and vigour of the journal had declined 

 into the dry business statements of tlie official ; I had lost the 



■ man, the human being, and found only the olHcial recorder. I 

 tried to remedy this by limiting for personal and private letters, 

 but at that time tlie letters, which afterwards became available, 

 were not to be found, and consequently my notes were laid aside, 

 and not cast into a 'Life' which I felt would be destitute of 

 human interest. 



(2) These notes, however, were of great use afterwards, when 

 I wrote the life of Banks for Leslie Stephens's ' Dictionarv of 

 National Biography.' 



(:i) Early ni lSiJ3 Sir Joseph Hooker spoke to me of his 

 fruitless search after Banks's Journal, which he remembered his 

 aunts copied for their father, Dawson Turnei-. 1 was able to 

 assure him that this transcript was still in the Department of 

 Botany, British Museum, and ultimately had the two volumes 

 ■copied, which, after being edited l)y Sir Joseph, were ])ublished 

 by Macniiltan and Co. in 189(1 



(4) Once more my notes were used for a life of Banks, this 

 tiuae by Mr. Edward Smith, which came out in 1911 ; by this time 

 several volumes of letters written by Banks were available, and 

 -Mr. Smith made good use of this advantage. 



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