SIR JOSEPH BANKS AND JOSEPHINE BONAPARTE
Aspirations for a wine industry in Australia go back to 1788, and even before. Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820), who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage to Australia in 1768–1771, was a botanist of enormous social and political influence. He embodied the Age of Enlightenment, where sapere aude – dare to think for yourself – was the motto of the time. Sir Joseph Banks was one of the most powerful and influential men of his time. A gentleman with means, he epitomised the ambitions and curiosity of a modernising world. At just 21 he inherited vast wealth, including his late father’s estate, Revesby Abbey, in Lincolnshire. Although this interrupted his formal education at Oxford, he continued his fascination with natural sciences by making friends with the leading scientists of the day. In 1766, the same year he was elected a member of the Royal Society, Joseph Banks participated in an expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador, where he collected rocks, plants and animals. He recorded specimens of flora and fauna using the method of descriptions invented by Carl Linnaeus. When the Royal Society discussed a proposed voyage to the South Pacific with the Admiralty, it suggested that ‘Joseph Banks … a Gentleman of large fortune … well versed in natural history’ should be allowed to join the expedition ‘with his Suite.’ Banks and his entourage of eight scientists, artists and attendants accompanied Captain James Cook on a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society sponsored voyage to the South Seas. The HM Barque Endeavour, previously used as a collier ship, was chosen for its flat-bottomed hull and ability to sail in shallow waters. The expedition, comprising 94 people and 18 months of provisions, observed the transit of Venus at Otaheite (Tahiti) in 1769, mapped New Zealand, and encountered the eastern Australian coastline in 1770. After this famous voyage of discovery, Sir Joseph Banks became a celebrity in Georgian society and soon enjoyed royal patronage. When Kew Gardens was first established, King George III sought his advice to create the greatest collection of exotic plants from around the world. Empowered by the King’s confidence and emboldened by his social and political connections, Joseph Banks became ever more influential. Sir Joseph Banks was also in correspondence with Josephine Bonaparte, who was enthusiastically interested in natural science and the newly discovered lands of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land. In 1802, she thanked him for sending her seeds. Her garden at Château de Malmaison, which she purchased in 1799, was full of flora and fauna from around the world, including South Africa, South America, Australia, and the South Pacific, and included acacia, kangaroos, and black swans.
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