THE END 323 



Kew. At the age of seventy-four, she could not afford 

 to be shaken about as described. 



Mistress Sarah Sophia Banks was a zealous student of 

 Natural History, and a most indefatigable collector of 

 curiosities of all sorts. But her moral worth (says a co- 

 temporary obituary), even more than her talents and 

 knowledge, rendered her the object of esteem and regard 

 to all who had the pleasure of being acquainted with her. 

 The life-long attachment of Sir Joseph and his sister 

 speaks well for both of them. And there seems to be 

 no recognizable limit to the versatility of either one. 

 Living almost always a member of his household, Mistress 

 Banks was a devoted companion of Sir Joseph, proud 

 of his ever-growing fame, and constantly at his service as 

 amanuensis or interviewer. The amount of manuscript 

 matter in her handwriting which has been preserved is 

 really prodigious. One item alone in the British Museum 

 Catalogue, which appears to be her handiwork, consists 

 of no less than sixty-five volumes. These include, among 

 other matters, papers on ceremonials, heraldry, and col- 

 lections for a history of the Order of the Garter. 1 Another 

 is a list of the books in Banks 's library 2 (apparently that 

 at Revesby) ; one section of which is a copious bibli- 

 ography of archery. She also collected Broadsides, 3 books 

 on Chess, Engravings, and news-cuttings galore. Her 

 greatest triumph in this way was an extraordinary 

 accumulation of Visiting Cards. This collection 4 is a 

 perfect charm, as not only reflecting Miss Banks's cul- 

 tured taste, but suggesting an elegant testimony to one 

 of the many refinements of her period. 



There are Visiting Cards, Invitation Cards, and 



1 Addl. MSS., 6277 to 6342. 



2 Addl. MSS., 33494. 



3 Nine volumes of Broadsides and Caricatures preserved in the 

 General Library. 



4 Now kept in the Print Room of the British Museum. They must 

 be at least ten thousand in number. 



