Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/179

 SIR JOSEPH BANKS. 79 he was not the planter and founder of the colony, lie miglit 1787-1810 be fairly described as its patron saint. He was consulted by Lord Sydney before the Cabinet had resolved to send a patron out an expedition, and it was on his recommendation that the bay was fixed upon as ''the site of the new intended settlement." For many years afterwards and through many changes of adtninistration, his advice was sought on every matter of importance connected with the colony. The collection of letters and other documents which he left behind him at his death, known as the Braboume* papers. The Banks contains abundant evidence of the anxious interest he con- tinued to feel in the progress of the settlement. Every one connected with it seemed to know that Sir Joseph was the proper person to communicate with when anything required to be done at head-quarters. Many striking instances might be quoted from his correspondence ; but the following will be sufficient for the purpose. The Rev. Samuel Marsden, who came out to the colony in 1794 and who combined farming and wool-growing with samnei his missionary labours, wishing to obtain "some of the ^' choicest fruits we have not got, and also two good English rams," wrote him from Sydney, on April 27th, 1803, and began by saying : — Honoured sir, — I flatter myself you will excuse the liberty I have taken in addressing these few lines to you. Tho' I have not the honour of any personal knowledge of you, yet, sir, from your known ardent wish to promote the good of the colony, I have presumed to trouble you with this sheet. Another of his correspondents, a ship captain named captain William Wilson, writing from Monument Yard on June ^ 24th, 1806, mentioned that when he commanded a ship six • The collection would be more correctly styled the " Sir Joseph Banks Papers." They came into the possession of Ix>rd Braboume through his connection with Sir Joseph. Lord Braboume is the great grandson of Sir Edward KnatchbuU, whose wife was a sister of Lady Banks, a daughter of William Weston Hugessen. His lordship was raised to the peerage in 1880. The collection was purchased from him by Sir Saul Samuel, Agent- General for the colony. Digitized by Google