140

HISTORY OF

[ 1780 — 85 ,

the purpose of presentation; one of these was pre-sented to the King, one to the Queen, one to thePrince of Wales, one to the King of France , whoexpressed his satisfaction in a very complimentaryletter to the Society, signed by himself, and counter-signed by the Marquis de Vergennes, and one to theEmpress of Russia, who ordered the Medal to bedeposited in the Museum of the Imperial Academy ofSciences, and in return presented the Society with alarge and beautiful gold medal bearing her portraiton one side, and on the reverse, a representation ofthe statue of Peter the Great.

After the general assignment of the medals, whichtook place in the early part of 1784, it was foundthat after paying all expenses, a surplus of moneyremained, upon which it was resolved, “That a suffi-cient number of gold medals should be struck to bedisposed of as presents, to the Earl of Sandwich, Dr.Franklin, Mrs. Cook, Dr. Cook , and Mr. Planta.Copies are appended of the letters, addressed by SirJoseph Banks to the three first-named individuals.

“ My Lord,

“ I am happy in fulfilling the instruc-tions of the Council of the Royal Society , by requestingyour Lordship to accept from them, their gold medalof Captain Cook , as a testimony of the grateful sensethey entertain of the effectual and unwearied patronageby which your Lordship enabled that great Navigator toexecute those voyages, by the success of which thiscountry has received such essential service, and increasedher reputation above her naval rivals; as also in proofof their sincere approbation of the elegant manner inwhich the accounts of his voyages have been ornamentedat the public expense by your Lordship’s orders, which