296 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



Dr. Horsfield was now home from Java and Sir Stam- 

 ford Raffles, keeper of the India House Museum, and 

 in touch with Sir Joseph. Hooker very soon had the 

 opportunity he wanted, with all the advantages of the 

 patronage of the Board of Trade and Sir Joseph Banks. 

 Arrangements had not proceeded far, however, when fresh 

 accounts of the horrible climate of some parts of Java, 

 and a reminder of the sad accounts of Cook and of Banks 

 himself, together with the renewed entreaties of his 

 parents, prevailed upon him to renounce his plans. 



Sir Joseph was vexed at all this. He had been at some 

 trouble to arouse the authorities, through Lord Bathurst, 

 on the importance of the project, and to arrange that 

 Mr. Hooker should have good remuneration, and every 

 advantage in his favour. The tradition is that he used 

 very ungracious language to Hooker. There is one 

 memorial of the affair 1 which seems to represent Banks's 

 last endeavour to have his own way ; for that is what it 

 comes to. He was now never thwarted by anybody, 

 and was getting more irascible every year at the mere 

 breath of such a thing. The letter now presented is too 

 sarcastic for the occasion, but Banks's remonstrance 

 shows plainly that it was a subdued exhibition of anger. 



Sir Joseph Banks to W. J. Hooker. 



" SPRING GROVE, June 19, 1813. 



"Mv DEAR SIR, Though I really cannot think it possible 

 that your relatives and friends in Norfolk can consider 

 an island half as large as England to be of a deadly and 

 unwholesome nature because one town upon it is notori- 

 ously so, I see their objections are urged with so much 

 determination and eagerness that I am far indeed from 

 advising you to despise them. I have, however, no 



1 Preserved among the Hooker correspondence at Kew. 



