xlvi MEMOIR. 



to brave the intemperance of every climate, may also lead 

 him to the discovery of something highly beneficial to 

 mankind ? If he survives, with what delight shall we 

 peruse his Journals, his Fauna, his Flora ! If he falls by 

 the way, I shall revere his fortitude and contempt of 

 pleasures and indulgencies, but shall always regret him, 

 though my knowledge of his worth was of late date, and 

 my acquaintance with him but slender." On Novem- 

 ber 28th, in the same year, he writes : " Poor Mr. 

 Banks ! His undertakings are virtue in excess ; and I 

 could almost wish he had followed your advice, and sent 

 a proxy. But then he would have foregone the honour 

 and praise due to such a disinterested hazarding of his 

 life, which a very sensible man told me the other day 

 much more merited a peerage than the enterprise un- 

 dertaken by Lord Anson." 



The difficulties and annoyance experienced by Banks's 

 party from the impediments and opposition offered by 

 the Spanish authorities are described in a letter from 

 Solander to Ellis *, dated December 1, 1768, which is 

 printed in full in the 'Annual Register ' for 1769 (page 

 188). The whole of this communication will be found 

 extremely interesting. It excited Gilbert White's sym- 

 pathy, and is thus referred to in his letter to Pennant, 

 December 8, 1769: "It is grievous to see from Dr. 

 Solander's letter in the ' Gentleman's Magazine,' dated 

 from Rio de Janeiro, with what insolence the Viceroy of 

 Brazil treated those gentlemen who have hazarded their 

 lives in pursuit of natural knowledge ; and this is not 

 the worst of it, for when they arrive in the South Seas 

 their reception will be just the same from every Spanish 

 governor, from Chili to Mexico" f. 



* Author of the well-known work on Corallines, 

 t This passage is omitted from Letter XXYI. 



