240 Presidentship of Sir Joseph Banks 1811 



tastes, to have travelled through Greece and to have founded 

 the Athenian Society a reputation which brought him 

 the distinction of being put at the head of the band of 

 Scotsmen whom Byron pilloried in the English Bards and 

 Scotch Reviewers. 



First in the oat-fed phalanx shall be seen 

 The travell'd thane, Athenian Aberdeen. 



He was elected into the Royal Society on 28th April 1808, 

 and became a member of the Club in 1820. 



Many former guests of the Club reappeared this year. 

 Dr. Thomas Young dined in January and again in November. 

 The veteran seaman Bligh, now become an Admiral, was 

 welcomed three times to the table. Professor Playfair and 

 Lord Webb Seymour were also guests. 



1812. The Annual General Meeting of 1812, held on 25th 

 June, was attended by twenty-one members, Sir Joseph 

 Banks taking the chair. The Treasurer stated that his dis- 

 bursements had been 69 143. 6d., and that he had a balance 

 on hand of 17 los. iod., sufficient in his opinion to justify 

 him in proposing that the contribution from each member 

 should this year be one pound. It was resolved that as 

 Sir James Hall and Penruddock Wyndham, on account of 

 their distant avocations, were not likely to attend the 

 Club in future (each of them having been absent for two 

 years), their names should be withdrawn from the List. 

 Two vacancies were thus created. Thereupon the list of 

 candidates was read and each name was successively put 

 to the ballot, when, as a result of the voting, Sir George 

 Thomas Staunton, Bart., was declared to be duly elected. 



Sir George Staunton has been already referred to as an 

 occasional guest. He was the son of George Leonard 

 Staunton who for many years was so active a member of 

 the Club. He was taken by his father in the Embassy to 

 China in 1792, and thenceforth became a successful student 

 of Chinese. Settling at Canton he remained there for nine- 

 teen years, in which time he was employed as interpreter 

 and became chief of factory. Returning to England he 



