242 Britain's Heritage of Science 



and noted, as an ancient writer said, " ye beastlie devices 

 of ye heathen." At a spot they christened Botany Bay, 

 owing to the wealth of plant life in the district, kangaroos 

 were observed for the first time. 



The Endeavour returned in the spring of 1771, and Banks 

 very shortly afterwards made arrangements (which ulti- 

 mately fell through) to accompany Captain Cook on a second 

 voyage in the Resolution. Being disappointed over this 

 expedition, Banks visited Iceland with his scientific staff 

 and Dr. Solander. This was the last of his travels. 



He became President of the Royal Society in 1778, and 

 held that distinguished office until his death. For a time his 

 reign was a troubled one. The secretaries had assumed, as 

 secretaries often do, a power which belonged to others, and 

 Banks was determined to put this right. The dissensions 

 that followed led to a secession of several members, but the 

 majority remained and harmony was once more restored. 



The contributions that Banks made to science by personal 

 investigation were comparatively few, but he was a great 

 patron of Natural History, and although he wrote little, 

 he was the cause of much writing by others. He made his 

 collections accessible to men of science, and his house in 

 Soho Square was a rallying spot for those interested in 

 Natural History. His library was one of the finest then 

 existing, the catalogue of it by Dryander exists in five 

 volumes. The library is still kept in a room by itself in the 

 British Museum. Although apparently a bit of an autocrat, 

 he was a generous and far-seeing man, and those who knew 

 him best undoubtedly loved him most. 



The Linnsean system was destined to disappear, and 

 during the first decades of the nineteenth century it was 

 being gradually replaced by a more natural and scientific 

 scheme of classification. In this, England practically led 

 the way, and, indeed, Professor Green tells us that with 

 Robert Brown began " a long line of taxonomists of the 

 greatest brilliance, who not only outshone all their prede- 

 cessors, but carried the nation's prestige in botany to a pitch 

 that had not been reached even under the influence of Ray." 



Brilliant and stimulating as were the speculations of 

 the French School from De Jussieu to De Candolle, the 



