124 
3- The Banksian Botanical Collectors. 
Either at his own expense, or in his capacity as honorary director 
of Kew, and on behalf of the King, Banks sent out a number of 
botanical collectors, whose duties were to send home living plants 
and seeds for the Royal Gardens at Kew, and also dried specimens, 
which latter were placed in the Banksian Herbarium. Following is a 
list of the principal of them : — David Nelson, Archibald Menzies, 
Peter Good, George Caley, Allan Cumiingham, and Anthony Pantaleon 
Hove; while Denis Considen and David Burton collected for him in 
New South Wales. 
1. David Nelson. 
David Nelson was a Kew gardener and became Collector on Cook’s 
Third Voyage (1776-80), H.M.S. “ Resolution ” and “ Discovery.” 
Captain Charles Clerke writes to Banks* : 
H.M.S. “Discovery.” Cape of Good Hope, 23rd November, 1776. ‘‘Your 
man Nelson is one of tlie quietest fellows in nature ; he seciiis very attentive, 
and. I hope, will answer your purpose very well . . . He his made a trip iij) 
the country here with Gore.” 
From a letter at p. 406 it is evident that Banks paid Nelson’s 
•expenses. 
Cook visited Adventure Bay, Southern Tasmania, in January, 1777, 
and a considerable collection of plants was made by Nelson and Mr. 
William Anderson, Surgeon of the “ Resolution ” ; these plants are 
now in the British Museum. He here collected twigs of a plant which 
were taken to Europe and first described by L’Heritier as Eucal}4)tus. 
He was afterwards botanical collector in H.M.S. “ Bounty,” 1787, 
under Captain Bligh, when that ship sailed for Tahiti to transport 
Bread-fruit trees to the West Indies. Bligh reported to Banks,! 
“ Bounty,” Spithead, 5th November, 1787, “ The conduct of Nelson, 
the gardener, is very satisfactory.” 
He was one of those sent adrift by the mutineers of the “ Bounty,” 
.and eventually died of the exposure,! — of fever at Coepang, Timor, 
* Hist. Rec., i (1), 405. 
t III., i (2), 117. 
t See also Kew Bulletin, 1891, 297. 
