186 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



Mrs. Brownlow North to Sir Joseph Banks. 



" WINCHESTER HOUSE, CHELSEA, July 27, 1787. 

 " Mrs. North presents her compliments to Sir Joseph 

 Banks, and has the honour to send him thirteen of Mr. 

 Brown's drawings, which he subscribed for at Mrs. 

 Greville's when she had the pleasure of meeting him at 

 dinner. There are three more drawings due to Sir Joseph, 

 and it will be unnecessary to pay the remainder of the 

 subscription, which is two-and-a-half guineas, until Sir 

 Joseph hath received the whole. As to the letter-press 

 mentioned in the proposals, Mr. Brown finding he has 

 lost amazingly by the drawings alone, it will not be in 

 his power to comply with that part of his agreement ; but 

 as he is willing to refund the first payment of two-and-a- 

 half to any of his friends who shall disapprove of this 

 deviation from his original plan, Mrs. North flatters 

 herself that Sir Joseph Banks will not be displeased with 

 this alteration." 



Sir Joseph Banks to Mrs. North. 



" MADAM, As my inducement to subscribe to Mr. 

 Brown, besides the honour of obeying your commands, 

 was entirely the hopes of promoting the publication of 

 a book which, by being in the hands of different people, 

 might promote the communication of their ideas to each 

 other on the subject of the plants it was to treat upon, 

 I shall certainly accept of his proposal of giving up half 

 his subscription on account of not fulfilling the proposals 

 by which he bound himself ; but as the poor man repre- 

 sents that he is already a loser by the execution of this 

 part of his plan, he intends to adhere to, I am most ready 

 to return the thirteen drawings you did me the honour 

 to send to me yesterday, leaving the 2\ guineas he has 

 already received with him as a homage to your recom- 



