x PREFACE 



most cordially the gentlemen officially connected with 

 these collections, for their assistance, and for their en- 

 thusiastic countenance to the plan for raising a memorial 

 in literary shape to the man they delight to honour. 

 Banks 's library still occupies a spacious room in Mon- 

 tague House. His botanical specimens are dispersed 

 among the treasures at the Natural History Museum. 



Sir Joseph Banks made no pretensions to authorship. 

 Beyond a few items, mentioned in the text, he seldom 

 appeared in print during his lifetime. Yet, it would be 

 difficult to find many persons who wrote so much and so 

 readily. It is clear that he was a copious diarist ; for he 

 has always his dates and his facts at hand when required. 

 Some of his statements, or reports, or instructions, that 

 happen to be extant are brimful of information ; of a 

 sort which could only be provided from his own personal 

 records. He would always answer a letter, if possible, 

 which had come from the most insignificant correspon- 

 dent. There was generally an amanuensis at hand ; and 

 for the very good reason that his handwriting was " shock- 

 ing." Those of his papers which the present writer has 

 had an opportunity of perusing have been generally 

 rough drafts, and they are not easy to read. The immense 

 accumulation of copies there are twenty volumes of 

 them now in the custody of the Natural History Museum, 

 manifest in frequent hiatus the difficulties of the copyist. 

 All this goes further to prove the extraordinary fullness 

 of the man's life. 



The diary habit of Banks is further shown in his frag- 

 ments of tours and travel-notes. These remain mostly 

 unpublished. Only one has been done justice to, at the 



