See also: Banks

Sir Joseph Banks , born the February 13rd 1743 with London and dead the June 19th 1820 with London, was a naturalist and British botanist which took part in the first voyage of James Cook around the world (1768 - 1771).

It is him which introduced in Europe the Eucalyptus, the Acacia and the mimosa.

Joseph Banks makes his studies with Eton then with the Université of Oxford. He is discovered a passion for the Botanique and, inheriting the fortune of his father, decides to devote himself to the study of the plants. He publishes his first descriptions using the young whole system linnéen and is elected with the Royal Society. At the time of the voyage with Cook, he discovers the Brésil (where he describes the bougainvillea) and other areas of South America, Tahiti, the New Zealand and finally the east coast of the Australia. He brought back this material forwarding abundant.

On its return to the the United Kingdom, it militates ardently for the Colonisation of Australia. In 1772, it goes on a journey in Iceland.

It is made baron in 1781, three years after its election with the presidency of Royal Society. He was freemason.

He organizes many voyages of exploration in the Pacifique and the the Caribbean. He becomes adviser of the king, and obtained close to Georges III an influence of which it was only used for to protect the scientists.

Banks is the principal financier of the geological project of Cartographie of the Great Britain carried out by William Smith. Banks wrote little, but it formed invaluable Collection S which it opened with all those which wanted to consult them, and a rich person Bibliothèque that he bequeathed to the British Museum and whose Jonas Carlsson Dryander (1748-1810) published the catalog, 5 volumes in-8, 1796 - 1800.

Source

External bond

• Biography of the biographical Dictionary of Canada in line