XU 
SIR JOSEPH BANKS. 
He was first of all a scientific man — a botanist mainly — and the 
advancement of science was the mainspring of his long career. But 
his tastes and inclinations were catholic, and his letters show his robust 
common-sense, sound judgment, and kindly disposition when applied 
to questions very diverse in character. 
No subject was too unimportant, no correspondent too humble, to 
secure his attention, and his letters alone show him to be a broad- 
minded, courteous, cultured, philanthropic gentleman. 
Prominence will be given to his work in botany and horticulture. I 
make no apology for this, since any life of Banks which did not 
emphasise his pursuits in these directions would simply not be a 
faithful portrait. have not done this, however, at the expense of 
an account of his activities in other directions. Furthermore, the work 
being mainly intended for Australians, attention has been specially 
drawn to his connection with this continent. 
At a time when it was considered a sign of patriotism to detest 
France and the French, he soared above national antipathies, and, 
actuated by the strongest feelings of fair play and justice, he secured 
the respect, and even the affection, of all Frenchmen who had heard 
of his noble attitude, during the frequent and long-continued wars 
between Great Britain and France, towards her men of science. 
During his life he spent the bulk of his fortune in the advancement 
■of science and the amelioration of his fellow-men; at his death he 
took care that a large share of his wealth should be devoted to noble 
objects. 
In Australia his name has been overshadowed by its association 
with that of Cook, but I feel sure that the more the life and work of 
Banks are studied, the more evident it will become that he was a 
^reat and a good man, worthy to be honoured by every Briton, 
whether Australian or not. 
