76 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



perhaps, right in imparting credit to any persons who 

 saved the Royal Society from " such a fate as being under 

 Horsley's Presidency." Other vigorous opponents of 

 Banks at this time were Francis Maseres (F.R.S., 1771), 

 Cursitor Baron of the Exchequer, Political Reformer, 

 and one of the acutest minds of the age ; and Dr. Nevil 

 Maskelyne (F.R.S., 1764), Astronomer Royal, a profound 

 mathematician, and an active member of the Society. 



The conduct of Dr. Horsley and his supporters seems 

 to have been hardly worthy of their position. It was 

 their proper course to attack Sir Joseph Banks at a 

 General Meeting, and not at the ordinary assemblies : 

 interrupting the philosophical pursuits of the Society, 

 and mixing up scientific with personal questions. The 

 ordinary meetings of the Society continued to be marked 

 with ill-humour, and with distinct hostility to the 

 President. There was an organized party which did 

 not disguise its determination to eject Sir Joseph from 

 the Chair. Acting on the advice of a few friends assembled 

 at his house, Banks made a " call " on the entire body 

 of the Society to attend at the next ordinary meeting, 

 as it was " probable that questions will be agitated on 

 which the opinion of the Society at large ought to be 

 taken." 



This proceeding was resented by the malcontents. 

 But Banks 's friends meant business. On the eventful 

 evening (early in January, 1784) a motion proposed by 

 Mr. Anguish, 1 and seconded by the Hon. Henry Caven- 

 dish, " that this Society do approve of Sir Joseph Banks 

 as their President, and mean to support him in that 

 office," was carried by one hundred and nineteen ayes 

 against forty-two noes. This ought to have been decisive. 

 But tempers were as high as ever, a circumstance not 

 likely to be ameliorated while the outside world was 

 enjoying this quarrel of the philosophers. The news- 

 1 Accountant-General (F.R.S., 1766). 



