BANKS, Sir .JosEelt (1743-1820). ...\n Eng lish naturalist. He was born in London, Febrn ary 13, 1743, the only son of William Banks and Sarah, daughter of William Bale, who left him a large fortune. He graduated at Oxford, im bued with a profound interest in natural history, and it was by his exertions that lectures in natu ral history were first introduced into that uni versity. In 1766, after having been elected a fellow of the Royal Society, he began his travels by a journey to Newfoundland and Labrador to collect plants, whence lie brought the first scien tific collections from that region. In 1768-71 he aceompanied Cook's round the world in a vessel, the Endearour, equipped by himself, in which he visited successively P,io de Janeiro, Cape llorn, Tahiti. New Zealand, Australia, the Malay Archipelago, Cape of Good 1 lope, and Saint Helena. His friend, the botanist Sola nder. and two artist, aecompanied him on this expedition. Botany Bay and the Endeavour River were named at this time, and Cook also gave the name of Banksland to an island south of New Zealand. During this visit to Tahiti. Banks sowed seeds of various Brazilian plants. The death of Dr.
Solander long delayed the publieation of the manuscripts and plates of the botanical results of the expedition, which were preserved in the British Museum. and finally published in 1900. As one result of this expedition the marsupial fauna of Australia first became known to science. In 1772 Banks explored the Hebrides and Ice land, and discovered the great geysers of the latter country. He was elected president of the Royal Society in 1778, which office he held for 42 years. While he published little himself, he did much to arouse an interest in natural science in Great Britain, and was a patron and protector of scientists in general. Ilis great collections and library, now preserved in the British Mu seum, were accessible to naturalists, and were the basis of many important systematic works by Fabrieius, Broussonnet, Giirtner, and Robert Brown. He married Dorothea. daughter of Wil liam Weston-Huges-sen. in 1779, but left no chil dren. He died in Isleworth, January 19, 1S20. Consult: Duncan, Short Account of the Life of Sir Joseph Banks (Edinburgh, 1821); Sir Jo seph Banks and the Royal Society (London,