376 SIR JOSEPH BANKS. 



any such mission ; but I am perfectly certain that the 

 King never would have suffered Sir Joseph to approach 

 him on any subject of the kind. This opinion I can 

 state the more emphatically, since my worthy friend Sir 

 E. Knatchbull, who did me the favour of examining 

 this Life, gives me the most positive assurance of his 

 uncle never having at all interfered, as the story asserts 

 he did. An interference of a very different description 

 he did exert, and with the happiest results. During the 

 long war, which desolated the world by land and by sea, 

 after the year 1792, he constantly exerted himself to 

 mitigate its evils, and alleviate its pressure upon men of 

 science and upon the interests of philosophy. It was 

 owing to him that our Government issued orders in 

 favour of La Perouse, wheresoever our fleets should come 

 in contact with that unfortunate navigator. When D'En- 

 trecasteaux was sent in search of him, and Billardiere's 

 collections were captured and brought to England, Sir 

 Joseph Banks had them restored to him, and without even 

 opening to examine them, as if he feared that any one 

 should profit by any discoveries save their rightful owner, 

 the author. On ten several occasions did he procure 

 the restoration to the Jardin des Plantes of collections 

 addressed to that noble establishment, and which had 

 fallen a prey to our naval superiority. He sent to the 

 Cape of Good Hope, to recover some charts belonging 

 to Humboldt, which our cruizers had seized, and in 

 no instance would he suffer the expenses he had under- 

 gone to be repaid. He even interfered to remedy 

 injuries which foreign nations had inflicted on scien- 

 tific men. Broussonet had fled from France to save his 

 life from the anarchists of Paris. Sir Joseph Banks 

 directed his correspondents in Spain and in Portugal to 



