time appointed j when I found him attended by his attorney. He received1 me very
coldly, and complained that I had ufed him ill in making enquiries, among the
people belonging to the (hip, concerning my brother’s effedts j he aiked me if I had
taken out letters of adminiftration, which he told me it was neceffary I ihould do,,
previous to our finally fettling accounts.
At this meeting, therefore* little paffed, except the adjuilment of the value of
fome few of my brother’s effedts, that Jofeph Banks chofe to keep, or had fold. To-
this fucceeded, indeed, a ihort, but fomewhat warm, altercation, about the above-
mentioned journal arid drawings j to which Jofeph Banks claimed a right, in quality
of my brother’s employer. As I could not be brought to acknowledge this title
in him to any thing but the drawings in natural hiftory, which only my brother was.
employed to execute; he admitted there were in his hands a few manufcripts,,which
were bequeathed to James Lee beforementioned; fetching a fmall bundle of papers
out of a bureau and throwing them down on the table.
Being a good deal flurried with the difpute, and finding nothing could be then-
determined on, I took no farther notice of them, at that time, than juit to obferve
that the mamufcripts were my brother’s hand-writing.
I obferved however to Joieph Banks, that Dr. Solander had informed me,, that*
when my brother was taken ill, he called him afide, and told him he was appre-
henfive he ihould die ; in which cafe he faid he hoped he had done everything to-
Jofeph Banks’s fatisfadtion, and doubted not but Jofeph Banks would do the juft thing
by him; at the fame time defiring that James Lee might have the perufalot
his riianufcripts. Jofeph- Banks denied his knowledge of arty fuch circumftance ;
on which his attorney prefent aiked if he had any written voucher that the papers
were bequeathed to James Lee, and wasanfweredin the negative ; Jofeph Ba/iks then,
faying that if Dr. Soknder ihould fay that James Lee was to. have the perufal only
of thofe writings, he would give up the point. At this inftant the dodtor came
into the room, when I put the queftion to him, and he confirmed,, without hefi-
tation, what I had alerted. When Dr. Solander left the room, nevertheleft*
Jofeph Banks fnatched up the papers, arid locked them up in his bureau ; telling me
to go and adminiiler to my brother’s will* and he would acquaint me when it
would
P R E F A C E . xiii
would be convenient to him for me to wait on him to make an end of the affair.
And thus our interview concluded.
In a day or two after, I took out letters of adminiftration, as next of kin J* and
having waited a confiderable time, to no purpofe, in expedtation of hearing from,
Jofeph Banks, I applied to Dr. John Fothergill, a common friend of my late brother
and Jofeph Banks, to inform him. how I had been treated j telling him, at the
fame time, I intended to file a bill in chancery againit his friend Banks. The
dodtor difluaded me from it, as it would be very expenfive, and promifed to think
of fome method of bringing about an accommodation. Sobn after, he engaged
to mediate between us, and, in appearance, much to the fotisfadtion of Jofeph Banks;
between whom feveral interviews, of courfe, took place on the occafion.
During the negotiation, I was informed by Dr. Fothergill, that Jofeph Banks defired
to have the infpedtion of the ihells and other curiofities, which had been delivered
to me by his order, as beforementioned ; which, by the dodfcor’s perfua-
fion, I was prevailed on to confent to, as alio to agree to prefent Jofeph Banks with
fpecimens of fuch as he might not have in his own colledtion ; which he faid
could be but few, as Sydney Parkinfon always gave him the choice of what he
procured and eolledted.
It was not, I own, without fome reludtarice that Iconfented to fend thefe things
to Jofeph Banks’s houfe j but, on Dr. Fothergill’s engaging that I ihould have the
whole or the greatefl: part of them back, I yielded to his remonftrances, and fent a
cheft-of-drawers, a large trunk, and a wainfcot coachrieat-box, containing,
Thirty pieces of the cloth made and worn at Otaheite and the neighbouring
iilands..
Fifteen ditto of matting and New-Zealand garments.
A great number of fiih-hooks, and various utenfils and inftrumerits uied by the
people on the fouthern iilands. Thefe were contained in the wainfcot box, which
was full of them. . > .
A very
i Elizabeth Parkinfon, the mother o f Sydney, having relinquifhed her right of adminiftering.