55 
2. Banks and Kew. 
Banks acted as King George the Third’s scientific ad\dser, which his 
position as President of the Royal Society made appropriate. 
He took a great interest in Kew, the King’s Garden, “ the first 
botanic garden in Europe,” as Banks called it, succeeding Lord Bute 
in the honorary directorship of it in the year 1772. 
Wilham T. Aiton, the King’s gardener at Kew, says : — 
To the Right Honorable Sir Joseph Banks his abundant gratitude is most justly 
due, not only for his judicious advice, which on all occasions has been readily 
and cheerfully granted, but above all for the unceasing and unwearied attention 
continued by Sir Joseph for nearly half a century to the best interests of the Royal 
Gardens at Kew, by which the increase of the collection, and consequently the 
value of this catalogue, have been promoted in an eminent degree. (“Hortus 
Kewensis,” Aiton. vol. v.. Postscript). 
During the period that Banks acted as director of the scientific 
operations of Kew, the flora of the southern hemisphere was assidu- 
ously explored both by himself and by collectors sent out on behalf 
of that establishment. 
He appointed collectors to the Cape of Good Hope (James Bowie) 
and New South Wales (Allan Cunningham) in 1814, on behalf of the 
Government. The free hand he had in such matters is shown in the 
correspondence at p. 84, “ Report on Departmental Committee on 
Botanical Work” (British Treasury), dated 11th March, 1901. 
At p. 124 I have devoted a special chapter to the excellent men 
employed by Banks as collectors, Allan Cunningham being more than 
that — he was an eminent botanist. Solander, his hotanist-librarian, 
circumnavigated the globe with Cook and himself. Robert Brown 
spent four years in Australia in botanical exploration. 
From Aiton’s “ Hortus Kewensis ” a list may be compiled of the 
plants introduced by Banks into England (i.e., to Kew), up to the 
date of the edition. New South Wales and New Holland figure 
prominently in the list. His ser\'ices to British horticulture were most 
eminent, and the countries enumerated by Aiton give some clue to the 
numerous locahties to which his botanical and horticultural activities 
extended. In Aiton’s work the introduction of more plants is attri- 
buted to Banks than to any other man.* This publication is particularly 
valuable as a Banksian record, since Aiton and Banks were contem- 
poraries. 
• See also Keio Bull., 1891, p. 305. 
