42 Blogrophical Meiiwir 



storm, they at last, and with much difficulty, made their way 

 back to the beach, and were received on board the- ship; Init 

 three of the persons who accompanied them were lost. 



At Otaheite, where the Endeavour arrived on the I2th April, 

 1769, the vovaf,^ers continued three months, occa?-ionally visiting 

 the smaller contij^nnus isles, surveying the coasts, coltivating the 

 friendship of the natives, collecting specimens of natural history, 

 and making those scientific observations which constituted a 

 principal (object of the voyage. Quitting these islands, they nest 

 visited New Zealand and New Holland, where the same re- 

 searches weie as industriously pursued with considerable ad vantage; 

 but the vessel unfortunately striking on a rock, injured it so much 

 as to threaten the destruction of all on board. This occasioned 

 a conside.able injury to Mr. Banks's botanical collections, a 

 great part of which were entirely destroyed. From this coast they 

 steered for New Guinea. At Batavia, which they afterwards 

 visited, every person belonging to the ship became sick except a 

 sail-maker, an old man between seventy and eighty years of age, 

 who got drunk every dav. Seven died at Batavia, and three -and- 

 tvventy more in the course of six weeks after the departure of the 

 ship from the harbour. At length, on the 12th of June, 17/1, the 

 survivors brought the vessel to anchor in the Downs, and landed 

 at Deal. 



Mr. Banks was received in England with eager admiration and 

 kindness ; and the specimens which he brought at so much risk 

 and expense to enrich the science of natural tiistory, placed him 

 above every other person of rank and fortune in the age^ both for 

 personal qualities and as a benefactor to mankind. At court, 

 among men of science and literature, he was equally honoured. 



It was not oile voyage, even though that voyage shoidd be 

 round the globe, and attended with infinite dangers, that could 

 satisfy the inquiring mind of Mr. Banks ; and although he did 

 not accompany the new expedition of discovery that was sent 

 out, as he at first wished, yet his directions and assistance were 

 not withheld, so far as these could promote the success and useful- 

 ness of the voyage. 



Iceland was soon after pointed out to Mr. Banks as fertile in 

 natural curiosities, highly worthy of the inspection of one whose 

 love of nature hnd led him to circumnavigate the globe. He 

 therefore hired a vessel, and, in company with his friend Dr. So- 

 ander, visted that isle. The Hebudae, those celebrated islets 

 scattered along the north-west coast of Scotland, were contigu- 

 ous to the track of the voyage; and these adventurous naturalists 

 were induced to examine them. Among other things worthy of 

 notice, they discovered the columnar stratification of the rocks 

 surrounding the caves of Staffa, — a phenomenon till then un- 

 observed 



