PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY 67 



Mrs. Delany, too, succumbed to the mania. In the 

 Print Room of the British Museum is a large assembly of 

 imitation plants, the work of this lady, which will astonish 

 any curious visitor who cares to apply for a glimpse of 

 them. 1 These things were the admiration of Banks and 

 Solander. Indeed, Sir Joseph declared that Mrs. Delany's 

 representations of flowers were the only imitations of 

 Nature, that he had ever seen, from which he could venture 

 to describe botanically any plant without fear of com- 

 mitting an error. A description of Mrs. Delany's method 

 will be found in her Life and Correspondence (VI, 96, 97). 



Jacob Bryant was another very welcome visitor at 

 Bulstrode House ; an antiquary, with very wide views and 

 an extensive knowledge of history. Antiquities were, in 

 his eyes, the handmaid of history ; perhaps the first 

 man who thus devoted himself to the topic. He wrote 

 many books, and collected a great number of gems, coins, 

 etc. Apparently an insignificant man, who would be 

 overlooked in the smallest crowd, he bore the highest 

 character for goodness to his fellow-men and for his 

 extensive learning. Through Mrs. Delany and Fanny 

 Burney, several of the Duchess's friends were introduced 

 to the homely Court at Windsor. Bryant was frequently 

 in Miss Burney's tea-room, and the King became very 

 friendly with him, visiting him at his house at Farnham 

 Royal and staying long in his company. 2 



Another friend of Banks to be found in the Windsor 

 coterie was James Lind, physician, traveller, astronomer. 

 In Miss Burney's time, Lind was resident in Windsor; 

 in good practice, beside being Physician to the Royal 

 Household. He was one of Banks's oldest friends, and 



1 A printed list is to be found in the Banksian Library : A Catalogue 

 of plants, copied from nature in Paper Mosaic, finished in the year 1778, 

 and disposed in Alphabetical Order, according to the generic and specific 

 names of Linnceus. Press mark B *f *. 



2 v. Madame D'Arblay's Diary, vols. Ill, IV passim, for some anec- 

 dotes of Bryant. 



