BANKS AS PATUO.V OF SCIENl E. IL 



After the death of LiiiiiKUs in l'/7'S, Ms hei-bai-ium, other collec- 

 tions, and library passed to his son, who died live years later.. 

 Liananis's widow, doubtless in tlie hope of st-curiiig a higher price 

 than w ouUl have been given in 8uedeii, offered the collections and 

 library to ^ir Joseph iianks for the snni of lOOUgs. Banks, who 

 had already a large herbarium, wa-i not inchned to acquire them, but 

 urged his friend i)r. James Edward Siintli, a young man who was 

 much interested in Botany, to purchase them, and iSmith became,, 

 in 17^4, the possessor of the whole of Linnasus's library, nniseiim,. 

 and M8S. for the sum of 90U gs. In 1 7S8 Dr. James Edward 

 JSuuth founded the Linnean Society, and at the first meeting for 

 the election of J'ellows Banks was appointed one of three Vice- 

 Presidents. Thus had it not been for the European, fame which 

 Banks had acquired as a liberal patron of Science, the original 

 offer would not have been made, and had it not been for Jianks'a 

 kindly interest in the scientific pursuits of a younger man the 

 offer nuglit merely have been declined. h\ either case the story 

 of our Society would have been different, and its reputation as the 

 home of the collections of the founder of systematic natural histijry 

 uiight have been wanting. Thus the connection of Banks with 

 our Society, though indirect, was of some importance. 



Again, the Linneau Society is the principal medium in this 

 country for the publication of work dealing with taxonomic botany,, 

 and Sir Joseph Banks, by his own travels and by initiating and 

 encouraging wovk of botanical exploration in all parts of the world,, 

 did magniticent service towards advancing the srudy of systematic 

 botany. At any rate. Banks was a liberal supporter of this Society ; 

 for instance, he bore the cost of the copper and engraving of the 

 20 plates in the first volume of the ' Transactions.' 



In 1800 the Koyal Institution was founded, the outcome of a 

 suggestion by Count liumford for popularizing Science by lectures 

 and laboratory work. It was at Banks's house in Soho Square 

 tiiat the meeting was held at which the [)ropositioii was adopted. 



Sir Jo.seph was also one of the seven gentlemen who met at 

 Mr. llatchard's shop in Piccadilly on 7th March, 1804, and founded 

 a Society for the study of Horticulture, which sub.sequently 

 became the Koyal Hi)rticultural Society. The Earl of ])art mouth 

 was the first President, and Sir J. Banks one of the Vice-Presiileuts. 



The Royal Gardens, Ivew, had attained considerable importance 

 under the Princess Augusta with the assistance of the Earl of 

 Bute, a keen botanist who took an active part in developing the 

 botanical side of the Gardens. On the death of the Princess in 

 1772, George III. maintained the botanical character of the estab- 

 lishment with even greater energy than his mother, the place of 

 botanical adviser being now taken by Sir Juseph Banks, who was 

 virtually through the greater part of his life Director of the 

 Gardens. Banks conceived the notion (Jf making Kew the deposi- 

 tory of every known plant that could be useful or ornamental in 

 a climate like our own, ami collectors were despatchetl on numerous 



