58 
4- His Botanical Activities in regard 
to other Countries. 
Banks’ horticultural interests beyond seas were by no means confined 
to New South Wales. 
In the Kew Bulletin for 1903, p. 11, there is an interesting letter 
from Mr. Henry Shirley, Chairman of the Botanic Gardens, Kingston, 
Jamaica, dated 20th December, 1794, to Sir Joseph Banks. It is 
interesting for two reasons, firstly, because of the tribute it pays to 
this good man — 
The Committee appointed by the House of Assembly of this island for superin- 
tending the public Botanical Gardens, being sensible of the share this country 
enjoys in the general advantages derived from your great zeal and abilities, as 
well as of the interest you take in our success, particularly with respect to the 
valuable collection of plants lately received, 
and so on ; and, secondly, because the letter shows how the bread-fruit 
brought from Tahiti (Otaheite) had flourished exceedingly, while it 
contains a list, with native names, of various plants received from 
Banks from Tahiti, with notes on their acclimatisation in Jamaica. 
We note that this garden also received Timor plants. 
Banks promoted the well-known voyage of the “ Bounty,” which 
incidentally led to the foundation of the great Dutch garden at Buiten- 
zorg in Java (W. T. Thiselton-Dyer). 
It can readily be imagined that, in those days of maritime discovery 
and exploration of new countries, the receipt of herbarium specimens 
of new plants was enormous. They were often conveyed by the King’s 
ships, and were all consigned to or handed to Banks. AustraUa (New 
Holland) was for three-quarters of a century looked upon as a mere 
collecting ground for European botanists, so that all the early types 
have to be obtained from the other end of the world. 
Banks was allowed to retain all the fruits of this work, and in this way the 
Banksian Herbarium was built up. There can be no doubt that it was virtually 
public property, and it was probably so regarded by Banks. It is believed that 
the present herbarium house at Kew was purchased by the Crown for its reception. 
( Thiselton-Dyer. ) 
The original Banksian collections, subject to a life interest on the 
part of Robert Brown (referred to at p. 117) were left to the nation, and 
did not find their way to Kew, but to the British Museum. 
Banks was cosmopolitan in his sympathies. He gave many instances 
of his view that scientific men should not be separated by political 
divisions. Fabricius described his insects ; Broussonet received his 
specimens of fishes ; Gaertner and Vahl largely used the store of plants. 
He handed to Gaertner, for his “De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum,” 
the collection of fruits that he made on the voyage with Cook. 
