The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-08-23 00:00:00

SIR JOSEPH BANKS.

[Frew "TM As NefitOltMeirestite.")
MEMOIR OF SIR JOS. RANKS. BART. (1 C.R. PC.
AND PRESIDENT Or THE ROYAL ACADEMY.

(Continued figs our Ayer of 77trroday lad.)

flawing ordered thei► lto wait for them at
Tobirmore, a very floe harbour on the Moll bide,
they joined her, after giatel)ing their curiosity he
M accu►ate investigation. and !proceeded on thrir
trayag•, which was now directed through seas hi.
therto unexplored by the rye of philosophic science.
. They !roamed the Orkneys and Shetland bloods
without any particular inv►stigattutt; being auttoes
to have the whole returner before them for the ere.
osination of Iceland, whose rocky coasts promised
• them great arquivitions in ichthyology, whilst its
:rotenaive plain*, under the rapid said exuberant
fertility of the northern hemisphere, would present
a new scene in the botanical world.

On the 28th of August. 1772, they arrived off the
coast of Iceland. and anchored near to Karaite&
front whence they pro,reded to investigate the na-
tural curiosities of that ratraorilinary, and then
little known, island. Their journey to Mount
Heckle occupied twelve drys, the distance Kiog
considerable, and between three and blur hundred
miler of it being over an uninterrupted track of lava.
Mr. Koski and Isis party, on the 2411 i of Septeu►ber,
were the firm that ever had reached the summit of
that celebrated volcano; the attempt having until
then been prevented, partly through superstition,
and partly from the extreme ddErulty of memo,
previous to an eruptiou which bad taken place some
time before.

Those who have a curiosity nn this suhkct, may
enic.ult Van Troil's Letters, front which we shall
select only one extraordinary fact, that when at the
summit. which was • spice of ground about eight
yards in breadth, and twenty in length, entirely
free fr m Maui, but the sand quite wet from the
snuw having recently melted away, they expert.
euced at one mud the same time a high degree of
heat and cold ; for in the air Falirrnliries thermo.
meter was cunatantly at 24 deg. yet when set on
the ground it rose to 153 deg.
Alter completely investigating every thing cu.
'ions, they left Iceland, and arrived at Edinburgh
in November, from whence they set off by laud fur
London.

It is gratifying to reflect that the inquiries (door
scientific and benevolent fellow-countrymen were
not confined to objects of natural history alone, in
his hyperborean excursion. We understand that
Iceland wee considerably indebted to him, even
after his return, for various benefits derived from
his communications with, and representations to,
the Danish 'merriment, in aid of extensive plans
fur the amelioration of many circumstances con-
nected with the political and social state of its po-
pulation.
The ohjects which Mr. Banks had in visiting
foreign countries, seem not to have led him to the
Continent; to him France and Italy had no pecw
her charms: but content with his native home, yet
anxious to embellish ■ud improve it, he now paned
Ins time principally in Loudon, or at his paternal
seat in Lincolnshire, surrounded by men of letters,
and by ',emus of the first rank and fortune, cor-
responding with the most eminent foreign natu-
ralists, attending sedulously to the meetings of the
Royal Society, forming a splendid collection of
natural curiosities ; and, above all, didicating his
time and fortune to scientific benevolence, and ju.
diciously applying the discoveries of philosophy to
the important uses of human life.
Sir John Pringle having retired from the office
of President of the Roy■l Society in 1777, Mr.
Banks was called to fill the vacant chair, upon the
detiesof which, however, he did not enter until the
ensuing year. when his ample fortune enabled him,
as his generous spirit prompted, to commence a
system by which his house became, through a long
series of years, a scene of hospitality, and of more
than benevolent kindness to genius of every coun-
try, and of every rank in society. His house we',
in fact, the common resort of men of science from
all parts of the world ; and upon Sunday evenings,
in general, during the sitting of Parliament, and
of the Royal Society, his apartments were open to
his friends, and to all strangers of fair character;
a decent appearance, and quiet, though not polish-
ed manners, being all that was required in addition
to genius, to procure for it a liberal reception.

A letter from Falmouth says—" The convicts
on board the lige, now in this port bound to New
South Wales, laid a plan to take possession of the
ship ; but, fortunately, their scheme was discovered
last evening. and ten tit the ringleaders, whose mana-
cles had been sawn through, were secured ■nd
heavily ironed."

PECS OF IFIUCKS T ESTEKDA t .
3 per Ct. Red.... 69111 B. L. Aut.. 17 15.16 18
3 per et.C000.....0711 L.
Stock Slat
68 6711 India 8and..... 213 pi.
9# per Cent 7611 i Ex. Bills, L. 31 2 pr.
4 per Crum. ..87 861 I Lou. Tickcts.. 214 is..
5 per Ct. N. Au0...103 $ Ouruiutn .. it dig.
101/ I Coos. fur gic. 68 6711 68

BIRTHS.
At Da'bootie Cesar, un the 13th inst. the Ltdy Mary
Hay, of a daughter.
Al Gilesore-place, a the IStb curt. Mrs. George Hetcbi.
sun, of • sun.
At Betibeld, on she 29th ult. the Lady of Daniel Mac-
kiuuou, Esq. of a daughter.
DEATH.
Friday se'neight, in Si. Margaret's, Norwich, aged 46.
Cal.taih Robert Twitter, of the Royal Navy, ohoaiguahreJ
himself by his iairepid bravery in several engegrineuts.
iu
which he bad received twenty-one vrotiuds. Captain Tialler
vim' cabin-buy on board his Majesty's ship Buttuty (Captain
Myth) at the time the crew of that ship ntutiried lir the
&nab Sea*, in the )ear 17b9, and wee one of the strive
persons who, with the Caplaso, were locoed adrift is a k...st
by the mutineers. It will be recollected that Captain Blot)
1114 d his cuispaitious, after a voyage of 1,200 leagues (Jetiog
obit+ the wily subsistewee they bad was one unece of bread
and a quarter of • pint of grater each Jay), had the wool La-
tour to arrive safe at the Dutch milkmaid et Cups% is 164
islauel of Timor

HIGH WATER THIS DAY AT LONDON BRIDGE..
alataittg 3$ after I. I Eveairg 7 rf►er 2.

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sad Pubiaiked lin banns Paws *ad Tile
Wain 001," N. 117, $t..04 by C. CUPAIMLI4
a 11. Ilarsad.