Sir Joseph 
Banks. 
±X1V INTRODUCTION. 
value set upon them by experienced dealers ki 
the different branches, when the House of Com¬ 
mons called for such an estimate, with a view to 
remit the Legacy-tax upon the whole bequest.* 
To this list must be added the name of 
the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. K, B., 
who, after his return from his circumnaviou- 
tion, deposited at different times in the Mu¬ 
seum numerous collections of natural and arti¬ 
ficial curiosities from the newly discovered islands 
in the South Seas, which, with considerable 
additions since made by the Admiralty, Capt. 
Cook, and other officers who have since perform¬ 
ed similar distant and perilous voyages, forms now 
one of the most conspicuous parts of the Museum 0 
Among the many donations of various kinds which 
Sir Joseph Banks has since bestowed, and still 
continues to confer upon the Establishment, we 
must 
* This valuation is as follows: 
Printed books .. 
Coins and Medals. 
Prints. 
Shells and Minerals . 
Gems. 
. .£10,000 
. 5,000 
. 500 
Total. 
. £23,500 
