ioo THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



served by Arthur Young and Sir John Sinclair in co-opera- 

 tion with Banks. 



Mr. Young is the most enthusiastic and industrious 

 writer on agriculture ever known. His success in this line 

 was due to a highly intelligent mind served by the pen 

 of a ready writer. You find from Young that eloquence, 

 once more, may be used in dealing with an economic 

 topic. But these things could never have given him 

 the great success in popular favour which he enjoyed, 

 without a thoroughly practical manner of going to work. 

 He led a strenuous life of experiment and observation. 

 He made some mistakes and erroneous conclusions, and 

 had to meet severe criticism ; but his extraordinary 

 industry, and his unselfish public services, gave an 

 authority to his utterances which could not be marred by 

 occasional failure. In acquiring information, he pressed 

 into his services every one, including the King himself, 

 who was at all capable of adding to his stores of inform- 

 ation. George III even put his pen to the service of 

 the good cause. 1 



Sir John Sinclair was a man of different stamp from 

 Arthur Young. Whereas the latter was kept compara- 

 tively poor, by his readiness for experiment, Sinclair 

 had a wonderful power of influencing other men and 

 inspiring them with his own public spirit. At his instance, 

 many of the Scottish landlords, and some Englishmen, 

 turned to agricultural improvement. The science of 

 farming attained a certain amount of dignity. People 

 began to see the value of true economic principles, 



1 v. Annals of Agriculture, 1786, 1799. Two papers signed Ralph 

 Robinson, commended by the Editor as of " singular talent and clear- 

 ness." They relate to the husbandry of William Duckett, a well-known 

 farmer of the day ; who had invented a plough which turned well over 

 the sward and threw it into each furrow, while the machine covered 

 that up at the same time. Duckett rented large farms at Esher, at Ham, 

 and at Petersham. He was awarded the gold medal of the Board of 

 Agriculture and successive prizes from the Society of Arts. He died in 

 1802, aged 72. The King was associated with him for more than thirty 

 years. 



