Sir Joseph Banks et l'envoi des naturalistes dans les explorations anglaises

Sylvie Lacroix : Sir Joseph Banks and Scientific expeditions. Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society for 42 years (1778-1820), ceaselessly sponsored naturalists on naval expeditions of exploration organised by the British government. He had created a model of scientific efficiency, above all in botany, and of cooperation between scientists and Royal Navy sailors when he took part, at his own expense, in Cook's first voyage ; he was accompanied by a team of 8, chosen by himself, which included Dr Solander, a pupil of Linnaeus. The Admiralty, although at first dubious, put him in charge of organisation and then of exploiting the results of all collection of natural science specimens on voyages, in particular those of Flinders and Vancouver. Until his death in 1810 he was seen as the spiritual heir of Cook, and thanks to him the Admiralty never questioned the presence of non-Navy scientists, like Darwin later on, on its ships.Lacroix Sylvie. Sir Joseph Banks et l'envoi des naturalistes dans les explorations anglaises. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°22, 1990. Voyager, explorer. pp. 121-126