73 
2. The Banksian Botanist- Librarians. 
1. SOLANDER. 
It is impossible to dissociate Banks’ work from that of his three 
botanist-librarians, Solander, Dryander, and Brown, who were the 
custodians of the library of which we have spoken, and who largely 
carried on the botanical work of the kingdom by means of the Banksian 
Herbarium, which was really a public institution although maintained 
by the purse of Banks. 
Daniel Carl Solander was born at Pitea, Sweden, 12th February, 
1733, was a pupil of Linnreus, and came to England in 1759. He 
declined the post of Professor of Botany at St. Petersburg in 1762. 
He was appointed assistant in the British Museum in 1765, and shortly 
afterwards entered the employment of Banks, with whom and with 
Cook he went on the voyage of the “Endeavour,” 1768-1771. He 
received the degree of D.C.L., Oxon., 1771. His relation to the British 
Museum is not clear ; he is said to have been appointed keeper of 
Printed Books in 1773. He appears to have continued in the employ- 
ment of Banks on the return of the “ Endeavour,” and lived in his 
house as “ librarian ” until the time of his death in 1782. 
Like his master Linnicus, he was a naturalist in the wide sense of 
the word — a botanist and a zoologist, although, like Linnaeus, he 
acquired the greater reputation as a botanist. 
We have so few biographical details in regard to the botanist- 
coadjutor of Banks who came to New Holland on Cook’s First Voyage, 
that the following extracts from Sir J. E. Smith’s work* are interest- 
ing. The work will be referred to in the footnotes as “ Corresp. 
Linnaeus.” They contain abundant references to Cook’s First Voyage 
(in which Banks and Solander sailed), and to Cook’s Second Voyage 
(in which the two Forsters were the naturalists). They also throw 
much light on the character of Solander, and why the descriptions of 
the plants collected by Banks and Solander were not published. 
Linmnis to John Ellis, (Uh Xov., 1759. 
In the beginning of .April, my friend Solander took leave of me for England ; 
but ever since that time he has remained at the extremity of Scania, towards 
Elsinore. Whether he is detained there by indisposition, as his letters indicate, 
or whether he is afraid to venture on shipboard on account of the war, I know 
not. Having written by him to you and other friends, I have been in daily 
• ■■ Selection ot the Correspondence of Linnaeus and other Xaturalists,” by J. E. Smith 
(2 vols. 1821.) 
