A surprise encounter in the British Museum

13 Responses to A surprise encounter in the British Museum

1. Tim Ferguson says:

   28 September 2008 at 7:25 pm

   didn’t he play Rumpole of the Bailey?
2. Joshua says:

   28 September 2008 at 8:11 pm

   I suppose Sir Joseph Banks is responsible in a way for my being here, and for my whole nation: as I recall, after his return to England on the Endeavour with Captain Cook after the latter’s discovering the east coast of Australia, claimed for George III as “New South Wales” (I’ve often wondered why that name, BTW), it was Banks who pressed the Government to settle NSW, and thus spurred on the sending of the First Fleet in 1788: so, without Banks, no Commonwealth of Australia, and no me. Or if I had come about, I’d be living in Scotland.
3. Martin says:

   28 September 2008 at 9:16 pm

   Is it just me or does Fr.Z loo a lot like Banks?? ;)
4. Martin says:

   28 September 2008 at 9:16 pm

   *Look
5. Aelric says:

   28 September 2008 at 9:33 pm

   Aubrey/Maturin ’08

   Sir Joseph for DCI.
6. Jane says:

   29 September 2008 at 2:41 am

   Joseph Banks is known to most Australians. He was a botanist who came to Australia with Captain James Cook and recorded heaps of information about our Australian plants and animals.
7. Marty says:

   29 September 2008 at 4:28 am

   He was even on the old $5 note if you remember –
   http://www.rba.gov.au/Museum/Displays/_Images/1960_1988/flora_5_dollar_front_big.jpg
8. Forrest says:

   29 September 2008 at 7:49 am

   And I thought he made suits…
9. Richard says:

   29 September 2008 at 8:30 am

   Ah, Father, have you seen this one in the National Gallery in London?
   http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/largeImage?workNumber=NG1418&collectionPublisherSection=work

   Saint Jerome at work in his study – but what is that by his feet? A bonsai tree! (Click to use the zoom feature if you can’t see it)

   As another great Latinist, is this what inspired your fondness for miniature trees?
10. Rob F. says:

    29 September 2008 at 9:19 am

    I take your reference to your reading habits to mean we recognize in Sir Joseph the patron and intellegence handler of Dr. Stephen Maturin from the “Master and Commander” series. An excellent series, which I warmly recommend.
11. Rouxfus says:

    29 September 2008 at 10:33 am

    Patrick O’Brian’s biography of Banks is a pretty good read.
12. Aelric says:

    29 September 2008 at 10:49 am

    Rob F.

    Hence my reference to Sir Joseph for DCI (Director of Central Intelligence) in the Aubrey/Maturin administration! :-)
13. Maureen says:

    29 September 2008 at 11:57 am

    Cook named it “New Wales” and then “New South Wales”, so you’d have to ask him his rationale.