equivalent for the whole of his collection; as indeed it proved to be. from the
prices they fold at in fubfequent auctions.
After the ihells were returned to me, I defired Parkinfon to fay what would
-content;him for thofe I had feleCted. He told me that a dealer, who had
feen the whole collection which his brother had made, in his abfencc, faid
they were worth two hundred pounds. I never fixed any value upon them.
I never faw the whole, nor examined any part of his collection but the ihells
and corals. It is therefore an abfolute untruth, that I fixed any price upon
this collection.
There is nothing more difagreeable than to fix a value upon another’s
property; efpecially where that valuation has no certain itandard. Things
of this nature are to be rated according to opinion only. Determined therefore
to follow the example I had propofed, I paid liberally for thofe I feleCted—-
above twice the real value, as the fame kinds have fince been fold for at
publick auctions. I told him at the time, he muit not expeCt to difpofe q£
the reft on the like terms.
Incapable of feeling the generofity of my conduCt, he immediately concluded,
that what remained in the hands of J. Banks, were of much greater
value than he had fufpe&ed and from that moment, became importunate to
have every thing returned : and this, perhaps.* was a principal motive to his
future, ungenerous and ungrateful conduCt. The reader of Parkinfon’s preface,
when he, has confidered thefe circumftances, will perhaps acquit me of the
charge of having aCted the part o f a “ pretended friend.” I f he does,
what name muit the man deferve, who had bafenefs enough to forge the
injurious epithet ?
The fum of £500, which I had propofed to be paid by J. Banks, to
the executors of Sydney. Parkinfon, as a full compenfation for his extraordinary
diligence, inftead of £151 , was accepted by both parties. I was
prefent at the payment, a witnefs to the receipt, and hoped the difpute
was amicably and honourably terminated.
Stanfield
E X P L A N A T O R Y r e m a r k s . 9
Stanfield Parkinfon then requefted he might have the perufal of his deceafed
brother’s papers. J. Banks complied with this requefl, though not without
hefitation j the event too plainly proved, he had ftronger reafons for his
reluCtance than I was aware o f : he knew the man much better than I did.
Thinking that it muit afford Stanfield much fatisfaCtion to perufe thefe laft
remains of his brother’s induflry, I requefted it as a favour, engaging, as I
thought I might do it fafely, that no improper ufe fhould be made of them ;
I meant by printing, or communicating them to the publick in any mode
whatfoever. My requefl was complied with, and he was put in poiTefllon
o f all the papers in J. Banks’s cuftody.
That J. Banks was diffatisfied with the manner, at leaft, in which Parkinfon
made the requeft, was evident, and not without fufficient reafon. After fuch
an inftance of generofity, as he had juft exhibited to Parkinfon’s family, to
have the fhadow of a claim urged with heat, was not a little irritating.
By Parkinfon’s own confeffion in the preface, as foon as he had got the
papers into his hands, it appears, that he immediately fet to work to get them
tranfcribed, engravings to be made from fome drawings of his brother’s, and
to put the whole as fail as he could into a form for publication.
Some.-weeks after the bufinefs was, as I thought, happily terminated, I
was informed, that Parkinfon was preparing his brother’s papers for the prefs.
I ferit for him immediately, to enquire into the truth of this report, and
learned from him, to my aflonifhment, that the papers were tr-anfcribing
for this purpofe.
I afked, if he had forgot that I pledged myfelf to J. Banks, that no improper
ufe fhould be made of them, in his hearing; and that he made not the leafl
objection to my engaging on his behalf in this manner: and told him that it
\yas a piece of the blackeil treachery fuch a tranfaClion could admit of, and he
was treating me with no lefs ingratitude than injuflice, filently to acquiefce with
f my