362 SIR JOSEPH BANKS. 



taries ; Dr. Blagden was chosen his successor by 139 

 to 39, Dr. Hutton being the other candidate. It was 

 possibly a third error of the President, that he sought 

 for a defender in a learned equity barrister, the Ac- 

 countant-general, Mr. Anguish, who was unknown in 

 the Society for any philosophic attainments ; while the 

 opposite party, in availing themselves of Mr. Poore's 

 and Mr. Watson's aid, had advocates who were re- 

 spected in the literary world. 



The main charge urged in these debates against the 

 President, was his interference with elections: and 

 this was loudly objected to, both as overbearing, even 

 despotic, and as having excluded several persons, 

 worthy of the honour they sought. The general 

 objection was wholly groundless. Sir Joseph Banks 

 only interfered as he was bound by the duty of his 

 office to interfere ; and if his frank and manly nature, 

 despising all indirect roads to his object, scorning all 

 covert proceedings to attain that which he felt bound 

 to seek the honour and the advantage of the Society 

 made him openly state his objections to candidates, 

 and openly ask his brethren to join in rejecting them, 

 instead of canvassing against them in the dark, no 

 better reason can be assigned for loudly" applauding 

 the course which he took. That he might have com- 

 mitted mistakes in one or two instances is equally 

 certain. The rejection of Major Desbarres, already 

 mentioned as a pupil of the Bernouillis, and the 

 instructor of Captain Cook, and soon after appointed 

 to a foreign government, was the strongest case cited; 

 the only other person of admitted merit, among the 

 twelve black-balled in four years, was Mr. Henry 

 Clarke of Manchester, a schoolmaster, and a writer of 

 some merit on mathematical subjects ; and all admitted 

 that the President's interference had proved most 

 useful to the Society's honour, in carrying the rejection 

 of four or five unworthy candidates. These, under the 

 old and lax system, would in all probability have found 



