THE BAEKSIAN BOTANIST-LIBRARIANS. 
95 
Admiralty, as well as in Sir Joseph Banks’s copy of the “ Endeavour’s ” journal, 
and in Dr. Solander’s !MS. journal, both of which are in the possession of my 
friend Robert Brown, Esq.”* The subsequent fate of the Journal seems to be 
a matter of unpublished history. If the supposition be not altogether groundless 
that when the “ Endeavotir ” was in harbour and there was a prospect of 
botanising. Banks left the record of zoological and anatomical details to Solander 
for the most part, one can understand Sir Joseph’s brief mention of certain topics, 
such as the characteristics of the kangaroo, concerning which his Journal might 
otherwise have been expected to be more explicit. Three kangaroos were captured 
during the stay of the “ Endeavour ” at the Endeavour River. But Sir Joseph 
says nothing about the se.x of these animals, of their dentition, of the sjmdactylism 
of the hind feet, nor of any possible affinity to the female jihalanger with two 
young ones which he himself captured. Nevertheless we know from other sources 
that some of these points did not altogether escape the notice of members of the 
party. Oliver Goldsmith’s account of the kangaroo, i)ublished in 1774, appears 
to have been based largely on information supplied by Sir Joseph; and this 
contains one observation which is possible only upon the skull in a fresh condition. 
And though not a naturalist, Sydney I’arkin.son makes a very fair attempt, in his 
Journal, to describe both the dentition and the syndactyle hind foot. It seems 
hardly credible that Solander’s Journal would reveal nothing upon these and 
other interesting points. Therefore the expectation that its publication would 
supply a valuable complementary volume to Hooker’s "Banks” apj>eared to be 
not altogether a vain one. It was to be hoped that some etlort might be made to 
rescue it from oblivion and to make it accessible to those who would gladly welcome 
its publication — or even the portion of it which relates to Australia. | 
In reference to which Britten sav.s : — 
The remarks on p. 279 of last year’s journal, referring to a journal suppo.sed to 
have been kept by Solander, have attracted attention in .Australia, and Air. Alaiden 
sends me the full report of .Mr. Fletcher’s remarks at the meeting of the Linnean 
Society of New South Wales on .May 31st, 1905, on a summary of which my 
comment was based. They run as follows: — (See above.) 
Captain King’s statement is, as Mr. Fletcher says, “ definite.” and it seems 
difficult to see how he could have been mistaken. Nevertheless 1 think it is pretty 
certain that he icaa mistaken. .Admiral Wharton’s reference to Solander is purely 
incidental, and may, I think, be dismissed. -Mr. Fletcher shows that none of those 
who might have been expected to mention such a journal make any reference to 
it ; had it existed, it might have been expected to be found in the Natural History 
Museum, where the collections and MS.S. relating to the voyage are ]>reserved. 
Mr. Carruthers, who inherited the Brown- Bennett traditions, never heard of it; 
and, as it would not form part of Banks’s MSS., it would not have gone with them 
into the possession of Lortl Brabourne; had it done so, it would have shared 
their fate. 
So far as the kangaroo is concerned, Mr. Fletcher’s suggestion and objection 
are met by the fact that the Zoological MSS. (usually called the ” Solander AISS.” 
but by no means entirely his work. Banks, Dryander, and others being represented 
therein) include a long description in Latin by Solander of the “ Kanguru,” drawn 
up, I am inclined to think, on the spot. In these AISS. Solander writes in Latin 
and in Swedish, rarely in English. 
I think we must conclude in the absence of any further evidence that Solander 
kept'no journal ; or at least that, if he did, it has not been preserved. J 
Solander wrote a “ Description of the Collection of Petrifactions 
found in Hampshire ” which had been given to the British Museum. 
• King's “Narrative of a Survey oi the lutertiopical Coasts of .-Vustr.ilia,” vol. ii, p. 9, 1827. 
t I’roc. Linn. Soc. X.S.W., xxx, 223. 
{ Journal of Botany, Feb., 1906. 
