Provenance note 

These documents, previously located at ML A78-4, are part of the papers of Sir Joseph Banks held in the collection of the Mitchell Library purchased in 1884 from Lord Brabourne by Sir Saul Samuel, the Agent-General for New South Wales. They were transferred to the Mitchell Library in 1910 and were part of the accession which became known as the Brabourne collection. 

Background note 

In March 1787 Banks appointed David Nelson gardener on the breadfruit voyage of HMS Bounty, with William Brown as his assistant. Nelson had already sailed with Charles Clerke on HMS Discovery during Cook's third Pacific voyage. 

Nelson, one of the loyalists following the mutiny on HMS Bounty, died at Kupang on 20 July 1789 after surviving the long boat voyage to Timor with William Bligh. William Brown remained on the Bounty with the mutineers.