LECTURE ON SIK JOSEPH BANKS. 395 



Banks was practically the founder of New South Wales, and, 

 therefore, of Australia. He was president of the Royal Society for 

 forty-two years, an intimate friend of King George the Third, a 

 persona grata with Ministers. He held a unique position in these 

 early days, being habitually consulted on Australian affairs. 



He was a sort of general adviser of everybody on everj'thing 

 concerning the welfare of the young colony, and the early Governors 

 wrote to liini frequently, and deferentially asked his advice in regard 

 to matters of importance. 



In the dark days Banks' refreshing optimism in regard to the 

 future of tlie colony was like a ray of sunshine, and was the more 

 remarkj^le since his opportunities in the " Endeavour" of peneti-ating 

 the country had been veiy limited. He consistently advocated the 

 exploration of Australia. 



His researches in regard to the botany of Australia would take 

 too long to do justice to on this occasion. His purse was ever open 

 for the advancement of botanical science, and thus he successively 

 employed Solander, Dryander, the great Robert Brown (the most 

 eminent botanist of his age), who was in Australia for four years, 

 from 1801 to 1805, botanically exploring coastal Australia (but little 

 of the interior had been explored then) ; also the Bauers, whose skill 

 as botanical artists has never been excelled. Peter Good, George 

 Caley, and many others were also botanical and horticultural proteges 

 of Sir Joseph Banks. He died in 1820. 



His Australian collections formed the nucleus of the celebrated 

 Banksian herbarium, practically a public institution, and freely open 

 to' scientific men, yet maintained by the purse of Banks, which, with 

 the Banksian Libi-ary (chiefly botanical, and valued, for insurance 

 pui-poses in 1827, at £7,300), is in the British Museum at the 

 present da^y. As the years roll on Australian botanists will visit 

 England to study it with increasing zeal. 



Banks virtually acted as director of the scientific operations of 

 Kew, and appointed collectors of plants for that establishment on 

 behalf of the King (George HI.), whose personal property it was at 

 that time. He appointed Allan Cunningham, afterwards in charge of 

 the Sydney Botanic Gardens, and whose reputation as a botanist and 

 an Australian explorer (he discovered the Darling Downs) will never 

 die. 



In fact. Banks had the knack of making good appointments. He 

 appointed Bligh and Flinders to important offices, and when they 

 got into trouble he Avas a good friend to their disconsolate wives. 

 Banks was indeed the most loyal of friends. 



Banks is very definitely associated with Queensland. Reference 

 to his journal shows what a careful observer he was in regard to the 

 aborigines, the botany and natural history generally, of the Endeavour 

 River, and thence to Cape York. 



Altogether, his personality was a unique one. His wealth, his 

 great influence, his unbounded zeal, were ever called into requisition 

 for the development of tlie struggling colony of Botany Bay. He was 

 the only man of rank and wealth who, to use a homely expression,. 

 ■' stuck to" the place, and this at a time when the conduct of some 

 of the colony's responsible officers did not tend to lighten his labours,, 

 or to make Botany Bay a fashionable subject. 



