EARLY AUSTRALIA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 729, 31 July 1929, Page 6

EARLY AUSTRALIA

SIR JOSEPH BANKS’S LETTERS COLLECTION FOR MITCHELL LIBRARY The celebrated collection of letters and papers, intimately associated with colonising days of Australia, made by Sir Joseph Banks, the noted explorer and botanist, has been acquired at a cost of £5,600 for the Mitchell Library of Sydney. Bought in face of keen competition, Mr. W. H. Ifould, principal librarian and secretary of the New South Wales Public Library, who undertook a special mission to Britain for the purpose, the collection arrived by the Moldavia last Thursday. The documents had been in the possession of Lord Brabourne, who was related to Sir Arthur Banks, through Lady Brabourno. Among the letters are some from tile first six Governors of New South Wales, including the notorious Governor Bligh, and they not only throw a strong light on the prevailing conditions of the colony at that time, but reveal the fact that even the Governors were anxious to be “on the right side” of Sir Joseph Banks, whose influence with the Colonial Office was very great. Mr. Ifould mentioned that he had been fortunate in securing for Australia, after considerable trouble, the original portrait of Sir Joseph Banks, which had hung at Captain Knatchbull’s seat of “Mersham le Hatch.” There was a copy of it in the Royal Society's rooms in London, and from this replica the well-known mezzo-tint portraits of Banks in his robes as president of the Royal Society were taken. Apart from Cook’s portrait at Greenwich Hospital, the original of Banks was the most important picture, from an historical point of view, that Australia could acquire. It has yet to be copied for Captain Knatchbull’s collection—the copy was being made at Australia House —but it would probably arrive in Sydney within a short time. It had been acquired for a well-known private collector who had expressed his intention of lending it to the Mitchell .Library trustees for more or less permanent exhibition. It was unfortunate for Australia, said Mr. Ifould, that the market for historical material was so costly, and in this regard it had been a happy chance that Cook’s original journal had been purchased in 1923. Had it to be bought now, the price, instead of being £5,000, would probably be £20,000, or even as much as £30,000. Originals dealing with the history of other parts of the world were being acquired for American collectors, who were prepared to pay enormous sums for them. Some of the prices realised at the sales were astounding. “David Scott Mitchell realised before he died that it was only by an endowment fund such as his that we could hope to obtain records of our early history,” concluded Mr. Ifould. “Without this private fund we would have found it almost impossible to acquire much of the valuable material we have in our collection.” "In addition to the Brabourne collection,” said Mr. Ifould, “I was able to acquire several valuable manuscripts, maps, plans and documents fiom various dealers and private owners. These relate to the early history of tho Southern Pacific, and therefore to Australia. One of them is the most human document I have read. It was written by an early convict, who gives details of his treatment, and refers to many people who became characters in Marcus Clark’s novel, 'For the Term of his Natural Life.’ Another interesting thing is a vellum map, Bft by 4ft, by Portuguese cartographers of the ISth century, showing the two hemispheres, and including all the then known parts of the Pacific. It is a most accurate map in colours, and illustrates wide knowledge of various discoveries. Among other material acquired by me were half a dozen originals of Kendal’s poems, two of which, I believe, have never been published. They were written after the poet had lost the use of his right hand, and was forced to hand-print his work with his left hand. The fact that I was able to buy these valuabel examples for 10s each indicates that the dealer must never have heard of the existence of Henry Kendal.” _