tl 
 
 EX LIBRI 
 
 Louis H Roc
 
 
 ?! 

 
 LONDON, JOHN VAN VOOHST ; PATERNOSTER Row. 
 MDCCCLVIII.
 
 A LIFE 
 
 L I N N M U S. 
 
 MISS BRIGHTWELL, 
 
 OF NORWICH. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN VAN VOORST, PATERNOSTER ROW.
 
 LONDON : PRINTED BT WOODFAI.L AND KINDER, 
 ANGEL COURT, SKINNER STREET.
 
 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Birth of Linnaeus. A short account of his father and 
 mother. His childhood, and early love of flowers. 
 School-days. His distaste for learned studies. A 
 year at the Gymnasium. Linnaeus goes to the Uni- 
 versity at Lund. Finds a friend in Stotxeus. Quits 
 Lund for TJpsala. His poverty and sufferings. 
 Celsius befriends and patronizes him. Friendship 
 between Linnaeus and Artedi. The first idea of the 
 " Systema Naturae " . . . . . 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Linnaeus appointed to lecture in the Botanic Garden 
 at Upsala, as Assistant to Rudbeck. His disagree- 
 ment with Rosen. Determines to go to Lapland. 
 Visits his birth-place. The "BiKung." Linnseus 
 starts on his adventurous journey. A sketch of his 
 Lapland tour, extracted from his Diary. Safe re- 
 turn to Upsala . . . . .26
 
 iv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Linnaea, Borealis. Linnasus lectures on the Art of 
 Assaying, at Upsala. Rivalry between him and 
 Rosen. He visits the great Swedish mining dis- 
 tricts. Account of this tour, and his companions 
 in it. Linnaeus at Fahlun. A matrimonial project. 
 Linnaeus resolves to visit a foreign University 
 and take a degree as M.D. Goes first to Stenbro- 
 hult, and visits his mother's grave. He journeys to 
 Hamburgh. The "Seven-Headed Hydra." Lin- 
 naeus proceeds to Amsterdam. And thence to Har- 
 dervyck, where he takes his degree. -Gronovius sees 
 the "Systema Naturee" in MS. and prints it, at his 
 own expense. He introduces Linnaeus to Boerhaave. 
 The "Fundamenta Botanica" printed. Linnaeus 
 and Artedi meet at Leyden. Accidental death of 
 the latter. Linnaeus publishes his friend's work 
 on Ichthyology. Linnseus introduced to Mr. Clifford, 
 with whom he resides some time. The " Flora Lap- 
 ponica " . . 54 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Linnaeus visits England. His interviews with scien- 
 tific men in London. At Oxford gains the friendship 
 of Dillenius. Fascination of the manners and ad- 
 dress of Linnaeus. His lady correspondents and ad- 
 mirers. The furze on Putney Heath. Linnaeus 
 returns to Holland. Completes the "Hortus Clif- 
 fordianus." The "Critica Botanica" and "Genera 
 Plantanun." Linnaeus pines for his native land. 
 Journeys to Paris, and visits Leyden, where he stays
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 some time. Publishes the "Classes Plantarum," 
 ' ' Corollarium Generum," and "Methodus Sexualis." 
 His choice companions at Leyden. Johan Bartsch. 
 The death of Boerhaave, and his parting inter- 
 view with Linnseus.- Illness of Linnseus, and his de- 
 parture from Holland. He visits Paris. Is well 
 received by the brothers Jussieu, and other accom- 
 plished naturalists. Made a Member of the Aca- 
 demie des Sciences. Returns home, and visits his 
 father and his betrothed. Goes to Stockholm to 
 establish himself as a physician there. Adversity 
 soon followed by prosperity. Chosen Member of the 
 Upsal Academy. His merits and fame. Is patron- 
 ized by Count Tessin. Marriage of Linnseus. 
 Friendly intercourse between him and the celebrated 
 Haller. Affecting letter of Haller on the loss of his 
 wife. " In the midst of life we are in death" . 80 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Review of the early career of Linna3us. His prosper- 
 ous circumstances. Obtains the Botanic Chair at 
 Upsala. Is deputed by Government to travel 
 through (Eland and Gothland. Goes to reside at 
 Upsala. His great enjoyment in the duties of his 
 new position. The Garden at Upsala embellished 
 and enriched by him. Publication of the "Flora 
 Suecica." "Fauna Suecica." Linnseus as teacher 
 and lecturer. Surprising results of his popularity 
 in the prosperity and fame of the University of 
 Upsala. The pupils of Linnseus. Early deaths of 
 several of their number. Labours, talents, and
 
 Vl CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 successes of others. Kindness and liberality of Lin- 
 naeus to his students.- His pride and satisfaction in 
 them, and their zeal and devotion to him . .113 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Fame and honours. The "Flora Zeylenica." 
 Linnaeus and Rosen co-professors at Upsala. Lin- 
 naeus publishes his "Materia Medica." Travels 
 through Scania. Returning thence, visits his aged 
 father. An attack of gout cured by eating straw- 
 berries. The " Philosophia Botanica." The spirit, 
 energy, and diligence of Linnaeus. His ardent 
 temperament. The Flowers Asleep. Mrs. Hemans' 
 lines. Linnaeus at the Swedish Court. His favour 
 with the Queen. Honours and nobility. The 
 "Species Plantarum." Haller's eulogy on this 
 masterpiece. Linnaeus purchases an estate. De- 
 scription of his villa. His personal appearance and 
 natural disposition. His inordinate vanity. His 
 domestic virtues. His two sons and four daughters. 
 His wife. Her unnatural conduct towards her 
 son . . . . . .140 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Dangerous illness of Linnaeus. The skill and kind- 
 ness of Rosen. Anecdote of Sir H. Moncrieff. The 
 "Silfer Brollop." Marriage of the eldest daughter 
 of Linnaeus. A picture of the home life of Linnaeus 
 by Fabricius, one of his most famous pupils. First 
 symptoms of old age. The Diary of Linnaeus. His
 
 CONTENTS. -VII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 devout acknowledgments of Divine favour and bless- 
 ing. His farewell oration before the University. 
 Vivacity and spirit shown in the correspondence of 
 Linnseus. His letter to Pennant. " It is now too 
 late." The ruling passion strong in death. Death of 
 Linnseus. Honours paid to his memory. The na- 
 tional taste for the study of Natural History inspired 
 by his labours. Sir J. E. Smith purchases Museum 
 and Library of Linnseus. And founds the Linnsean 
 Society. Concluding remarks. "The Observing 
 Eye." What one man may do. Patrick Neill and 
 the Horticultural Society of Edinburgh. Encourage- 
 ment and rewards promised to the young student of 
 Botany . . 16(5
 
 /r 
 
 LINNJ1US.- 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HIS CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 
 
 IT has well been said, that though the 
 lives of men devoted to silent study 
 and secluded labour contain few of those 
 stirring incidents which embellish the bio- 
 graphies of statesmen and heroes, they are 
 scarcely less alluring and instructive. We 
 love to know under what circumstances our 
 favourite authors conceived and completed 
 the works which instruct and delight us, 
 
 B
 
 4 LIFE OF LINKSU8. 
 
 brought up by his maternal uncle, Sven 
 Tiliander, himself a clergyman, who edu- 
 cated the lad with his own children, and 
 being fond of plants and gardening, in- 
 spired in his nephew also a love for horti- 
 culture : so that this predilection appears 
 to have been, in some degree, hereditary. 
 Young Nils was sent, in due time, to 
 school, and afterwards to the university 
 of Lund, where he had to struggle for 
 some years with poverty, and to apply 
 very diligently to his studies, in order 
 that he might qualify himself for the pro- 
 fession of his choice. Returning to his 
 native place, he was admitted to holy 
 orders, and was first curate and afterwards 
 co-pastor. Soon after he attained to 'this 
 degree, he was married to the eldest daugh- 
 ter of the pastor, Christina Brodersonia ; 
 of whom her son says " She possessed all
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 5 
 
 the virtues of her sex, and was an excellent 
 economist." No doubt she found ample 
 room for the exercise of this her distin- 
 guishing excellence, for her husband's sti- 
 pend was small, and she brought him a 
 goodly family of two sons and three 
 daughters. We may well believe that 
 thrift and frugality were necessary in the 
 menage of this small household. 
 
 Linnaeus tells us, that the young couple 
 welcomed their first-born with joy, and 
 reared him with the tehderest solicitude, 
 " devoting the utmost attention to impress- 
 ing on his mind the love of virtue, both in 
 precept and example." He has drawn a 
 charming picture of his birth-place ; it was 
 situated in a very pleasant valley adjoining 
 the lake Mb'klen, which formed a bay, in 
 the centre of which stood the parish church 
 of Stenbrohult. On the banks of this
 
 6 LIFE OF LIN1UBUS. 
 
 fine lake, surrounded by hills and vallies, 
 woods and cultivated grounds, the father of 
 Linnaeus dwelt ; his garden and his fields 
 yielding him, at the same time, both 
 amusement and profit. The young Carl 
 had no sooner left his cradle than he was 
 constantly in the garden, in which, to use 
 his own expression, he almost lived ; de- 
 lighted with the brilliant hues and fragrance 
 of the beauteous shrubs and flowers which 
 flourished there. In a letter to Baron 
 Haller, written at the time of his father's 
 death, Linnaeus says, " He was an un- 
 common lover of plants, and had a select 
 garden of numerous rare species/ 5 
 
 The favourite taste of the father was 
 quickly imbibed by the child, who was his 
 constant companion while he cultivated the 
 choice parterre, and eagerly tried to yield 
 such slight aid as his childish powers per-
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 7 
 
 mitted. He has recorded the first occasion 
 when this innate passion was decidedly 
 displayed, or rather, perhaps, when it sprung 
 into consciousness. He was hardly four 
 years old when he chanced to accompany 
 his father to a rural fete at Mb'klen, and in 
 the evening, it being a pleasant season of 
 the year, the guests seated themselves on 
 the flowery turf and listened to the good 
 pastor, who entertained them with remarks 
 on the names and properties of the plants 
 which grew around them, showing them 
 the roots of Succisa, Tormentilla, Orchides, 
 &c. The little Carl attended, with the 
 utmost eagerness, to all he saw and heard, 
 and " from that time never ceased harass- 
 ing his father with questions about the 
 name, qualities and nature of every plant 
 he met with ;" an unlooked-for result of 
 the evening lecture, and which seems to
 
 8 LIFE OF LINN31US. 
 
 have cost the worthy man no small trouble ; 
 for the child (not unlike other children, 
 for that matter) "very often asked more 
 than his father was able to answer ; " in 
 addition to which he " used immediately to 
 forget all he had learned, and especially the 
 names of the plants. To cure him of this 
 mischievous habit of inattention, his father 
 refused to answer his questions, unless he 
 would promise to remember what was told 
 him ; which judicious management wrought 
 a speedy and effectual cure ; insomuch that 
 he tells us, he ever afterwards retained 
 with ease whatever he heard. Besides this 
 retentiveness of memory, he possessed an 
 "astonishing quickness of sight;" an 
 almost necessary qualification for the study 
 of his favourite science. 
 
 When the boy was eight years old, a 
 separate plot of ground was assigned him
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 9 
 
 by his father, which was called "Carl's 
 Garden/' and which he soon stored with 
 collections of plants and wild flowers 
 gathered from the woods and fields around 
 his dwelling. At the same time he intro- 
 duced a variety of weeds ; a treasure 
 which it afterwards cost his father no 
 small pains to eradicate from his flower- 
 beds. The enterprising youngster even 
 tried the experiment of establishing a 
 swarm of wild bees and wasps in the 
 garden, the result of which was a devas- 
 tating warfare waged against the domestic 
 hives. 
 
 At length it was thought desirable that 
 these flowery pursuits should give way to 
 more serious occupations ; and he was com- 
 mitted to the charge of a private tutor, 
 whom he calls, " a passionate and morose 
 man ; better calculated for extinguishing
 
 10 LIFE OF LINN.SUS. 
 
 a youth's talents than for improving them/' 
 Nor did he fare any better in his next 
 remove, which was to the grammar-school 
 of Wexio, where the masters " pursued 
 the same methods, preferring stripes and 
 punishments to encouragements and ad- 
 monitions/' Probably the boy evinced his 
 distaste for such coercive measures, since we 
 find him soon removed from school to the 
 care of another private teacher, of whose 
 mild and gentle disposition he speaks in 
 terms of approval ; nevertheless he, too, 
 failed to inspire in his pupil a love for the 
 studies which were considered necessary as 
 preparatory to admission into holy orders ; 
 for Nils Linnaeus, desirous that his eldest 
 son should become his assistant, and even- 
 tually his successor, designed him for the 
 Church. 
 
 It was not till three years later that
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 11 
 
 Carl received promotion to a higher "form" 
 in the school, called the " circle ; " and the 
 principal use he seems to have made of 
 the greater liberty allowed him in this 
 new rank, was to shun the usual exercises 
 and give himself up to the study of 
 his favourite pursuit the knowledge of 
 flowers. He acknowledges that his time 
 was chiefly spent in wandering about the 
 outskirts of the town, and making himself 
 acquainted with all the plants he could 
 find. 
 
 According to the system then pursued 
 in Sweden, it was necessary that youths 
 should pass from the schools or private 
 tutors, to a superior seminary, called the 
 Gymnasium, where the higher branches 
 of literature were taught ; and accord- 
 ingly, at the age of seventeen, the young 
 Linnaeus was removed thither. But the
 
 12 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 original predilections of his mind were 
 here still more strikingly evinced and 
 matured. He showed the strongest dis- 
 taste for theological studies ; in meta- 
 physics, ethics, Greek and Hebrew, and 
 theology, his companions far outstripped 
 him ; but in mathematics, and particularly 
 physics, he as much excelled them. His 
 favourite science, botany, which at that 
 time was wholly neglected, still continued 
 to be his most engrossing pursuit, and he 
 soon contrived to form a small library of 
 books in that branch. Among others he 
 mentions the Chloris Gothica of Bro- 
 melius, and Rudbeck's Hortus Upsaliensis, 
 which he confesses his inability then to 
 comprehend clearly ; nevertheless, he says 
 he " continued to read them day and night, 
 and committed them to memory/' His 
 own copies of these books, " used with
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 13 
 
 the utmost care and neatness," were 
 preserved among his library, and after his 
 death were sold with his collection. The 
 zeal and eagerness he evinced in these 
 studies procured him, both among masters 
 and scholars, the name of " the Little 
 Botanist." 
 
 At the end of two years his father 
 went to Wexio, " hoping to hear from the 
 preceptors the most flattering account of 
 his beloved son's progress in his studies 
 and morals/' But he was sorely disap- 
 pointed at learning that, unexceptionable 
 as the general behaviour of the youth had 
 been, he was evidently quite unfit for a 
 divine ; and indeed, in the opinion of the 
 authorities, it was pity to incur any further 
 expense towards giving him a learned edu- 
 cation, some manual employment being far 
 more suitable for him. The youth, they
 
 14 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 
 
 thought, would be well placed as apprentice 
 to some tailor or shoemaker ! 
 
 Grieved at having thus lost his labour, 
 and supported his son at school for 
 twelve years (an expense he could very 
 ill afford), to no purpose, the venerable 
 clergyman went his way, pondering what 
 course to pursue. It chanced that he was 
 suffering from a complaint which required 
 medical advice, and he betook himself to 
 the house of Dr. Rothmann, the provincial 
 physician, also a lecturer in physics ; to 
 whom, in the course of conversation, he 
 mentioned his perplexity with reference to 
 his son Carl. Rothmann suggested that, 
 though the opinions of his colleagues might 
 be correct as to the boy's inaptitude for 
 theological studies, there was good reason 
 to believe he might distinguish himself in 
 the profession of medicine, and possibly
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 15 
 
 that he might accomplish great things in 
 the pursuit of natural history. At the same 
 time he liberally offered, in case the father's 
 circumstances did not permit him to main- 
 tain his son in a course of studies, to take 
 him into his own house and provide for 
 him during the year he must remain at the 
 Gymnasium. This generous proposal was 
 gratefully accepted, and the result was 
 most satisfactory. Linnaeus received from his 
 benefactor a course of private instructions 
 in physiology, with so much success that 
 the youth was able to give a most accurate 
 report of all he had been taught. At the 
 same time this worthy teacher put him 
 into the right method of studying botany, 
 showing the necessity of proceeding in a 
 scientific manner, and directing his atten- 
 tion to the system of Tournefort. The 
 very imperfections he found in this work
 
 16 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 stimulated his desire for something more 
 perfect, and were, in this way, of use to 
 the future naturalist. 
 
 The year following (1727), Linnaeus 
 proceeded to the University at Lund, fur- 
 nished, as he has himself recorded, with a 
 " not very creditable certificate." This 
 curiosity, after its kind, was to the effect 
 that youth at school may be compared to 
 plants, which sometimes baffle all the skill of 
 the gardener, but, being transplanted to a 
 different soil, occasionally turn out well. 
 With this view, and no other, the bearer 
 was sent to the University, which, pos- 
 sibly, might prove propitious to his pro- 
 
 Happily, the young man had a friend 
 at the University, in his former preceptor, 
 he of the mild and gentle disposition, who 
 kept back the doubtful recommendation,
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 17 
 
 and procured his matriculation as one of 
 his private pupils. 
 
 At Lund, Linnaeus lodged in the house 
 of Dr. Stoboeus, professor of medicine, and 
 physician to the King. This eminent man, 
 perceiving the industry of his lodger, and 
 his acquirements in natural science, allowed 
 him free access to his excellent museum of 
 minerals, shells, and dried plants ; and, 
 highly delighted with the idea of a hortus 
 siccus, he immediately began to collect all 
 the plants which grew in the vicinity, 
 and to " glue them upon paper/' Still he 
 was denied the privilege of access to the 
 doctor's library ; but, as it fell out, he 
 managed to obtain that also. He formed 
 an acquaintance with a fellow lodger, a 
 young German student, who enjoyed the 
 advantage he coveted, and, in return for 
 teaching him the principles of physiology,
 
 18 LIFE OF LINN31US. 
 
 he obtained of this youth, books from 
 Stoboeus's library. He passed whole nights 
 in reading the volumes thus clandestinely 
 procured ; but it happened that the mother 
 of Stobceus, who was infirm and ailing, 
 lay awake several nights in succession, and 
 seeing a light constantly burning in 
 Linnaeus's room, fearful of fire, desired her 
 son to chide the young Smalander for his 
 
 Two nights after, at midnight, the lad 
 was surprised by a visit from his host, who 
 found him, to his astonishment, diligently 
 poring over his books. Being asked why 
 he did not go to bed, and whence he had 
 procured the books, he was compelled to 
 confess everything. Stobceus ordered him 
 immediately to go to bed ; and the next 
 morning, calling for him, gave him per- 
 mission to make what use he pleased of his
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 19 
 
 library. From that time this excellent 
 man admitted the youth to the utmost 
 familiarity, received him at his own table, 
 and treated him even as a son. 
 
 While botanizing in the country, in the 
 following Spring, Linnaeus was bitten in 
 the right arm by a venomous reptile, and 
 so serious were the consequences, that his 
 life was endangered. As soon as he was 
 partially recovered he returned to his 
 father's house, in order to recruit during 
 the summer vacation, and while staying in 
 Smaland he was persuaded by his kind 
 friend and benefactor, Dr. Rothinann, to 
 quit Lund for Upsala, as a superior school 
 of medicine, and affording besides, many 
 other advantages of which he would gladly 
 avail himself. 
 
 In this University the first and most 
 ancient seat of Swedish learning, and the 
 
 C 2
 
 20 LIFE OF LINMEUS. 
 
 scene, in after-years, of his greatness our 
 young student underwent a severe process 
 of training. Poor and unknown, he had 
 no means of adding to the scanty pittance 
 his parents were able to allow him. 
 Scarcely could they afford to give the 
 small sum of 200 silver ducats (about 8*) 
 towards the expenses of his education 
 there. In a short time he found his pockets 
 quite empty ; and having no chance of 
 obtaining private pupils he vainly looked 
 for any other source of maintenance. In 
 a few words he thus touchuigly records the 
 tale of his sufferings, and the first beam of 
 hope that shone across his path. "As 
 Petronius says, poverty is the attendant of 
 a good mind; and Linnaeus was not without 
 it in this University, ... he was obliged 
 to trust to chance for a meal, and in the 
 article of dress was reduced to such shifts
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 21 
 
 that he was obliged, when his shoes re- 
 quired mending, to patch them with folded 
 paper, instead of sending them to the 
 cobbler. He repented of his journey to 
 Upsala, and of his departure from the roof 
 of Stoboeus ; but to return to Lund was 
 a tiresome and expensive undertaking. 
 Stoboeus too, had taken it very ill, that a 
 pupil whom he loved so sincerely had left 
 that University without consulting him. 
 
 ' Labor tamen omnia vincit 
 Improbus ; et duris urgens in rebus egestas.' VIRG. 
 
 "It chanced one day, in the autumn of 
 the year 1728, whilst Linnaeus was very 
 intently examining some plants in the aca- 
 demical garden, there entered a venerable 
 old clergyman, who asked him what he 
 was about, whether he was acquainted 
 with plants, whence he came, and how 
 long he had been prosecuting his studies ? "
 
 22 LIFE OF LINN31US. 
 
 To all these questions lie returned satis- 
 factory answers, and was then invited to 
 accompany his interrogator to his house, 
 which proved to be that of Dr. Olaf 
 Celsius. 
 
 This estimable and learned man was 
 just returned from Stockholm, where he 
 had been engaged as a member of the 
 Ecclesiastical Commission, and he was at 
 that time preparing his celebrated work 
 upon the plants mentioned in the Holy 
 Scriptures, which he published in 1745, 
 having travelled to the East on purpose 
 to make it more complete. Little did 
 Celsius imagine that the youth whom he 
 first met by chance in the academi- 
 cal garden at Upsala, was destined, in 
 after-years, by his genius, to immortalise 
 its fame. He, however, soon discerned 
 the merits of Linnaeus, took him under
 
 LIFE OF LINM3US. 23 
 
 his protection, offering him board and 
 lodging in his own house, and allowing 
 him the full use of his library, which was 
 very rich in botanical books. Among all 
 his patrons Linnaeus appears to have che- 
 rished most the memory of this venerable 
 man, never referring to him but in terms 
 of reverence and gratitude. 
 
 The friendship and patronage of one so 
 distinguished did not fail to procure for the 
 youth the advantages he so much needed. 
 Before long the son of Professor Eudbeck, 
 and other young men, became his private 
 pupils, and by this means his pecuniary 
 wants were supplied. 
 
 Nothing, however, seems to have given 
 Linnaeus so much satisfaction in reviewing 
 the events of this period of his early 
 history, as the intimate friendship he now 
 contracted with a fellow-student named
 
 24 LIFE OF LINN31US. 
 
 Pehr Artedi, who afterwards distinguished 
 himself by his knowledge of fishes and 
 umbelliferous plants. To the picture he 
 has drawn of his friend, Linnaeus has 
 added a slight sketch of himself, which 
 will interest the reader. There was a 
 great difference in the personal appearance, 
 as well as the temperament and disposition 
 of the two youths. " Artedi was of a tall 
 and handsome figure, more serious, and of 
 a deliberate judgment ; whereas, his friend 
 was short in stature and stout ; hasty 
 in temper, and of a sanguine turn/' 
 With an honourable spirit of emulation 
 the two companions pursued their favourite 
 studies. " They divided the kingdoms and 
 provinces of nature between them, and 
 while Linnaeus yielded the palm to Artedi 
 in Ichthyology, the latter acknowledged 
 Linnaeus to be his superior in Entomology.
 
 LIFE OF LINNJSUS. 25 
 
 Each kept his discoveries to himself, though 
 for no great length of time, since not a 
 day passed without one surprising the 
 other by narrating some new fact, so that 
 emulation produced mutual industry of 
 research, and stimulated each to new ex- 
 ertions." 
 
 Linnaeus was now in his twenty-second 
 year ; about which time he met with a 
 review of Le Vaillant's treatise " sur la 
 structure des fleurs;" by which his curio- 
 sity was excited to a close examination of 
 the stamina and pistils, and perceiving the 
 essential importance of these parts of the 
 plant, he formed the design of a new me- 
 thod of arrangement, founded upon these 
 organs. 
 
 This was the first dawning idea of that 
 great system upon which his subsequent 
 fame was based.
 
 26 LIFE OF LINN&US. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 LINNAEUS appears to have been, from the 
 first, convinced of the importance of the 
 idea he had conceived, and lost no time in 
 drawing up a little treatise on the sexes of 
 plants, in conformity with what he believed 
 to be " genuine botanical principles." This 
 essay he showed to Celsius, who commu- 
 nicated it to Dr. Rudbeck ; and the per- 
 formance was honoured with the approba- 
 tion of that professor, who desired to 
 become better acquainted with the author 
 of so " masculine a composition." This
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 27 
 
 introduction was a most important one for 
 Linnseus. It led the way to his being ap- 
 pointed to lecture in the botanical garden, 
 as an assistant to Dr. Kudbeck, whose 
 advancing age made him incapable of per- 
 forming all the duties of his office. 
 
 Linnaeus thus found himself placed in a 
 situation of responsibility; and being au- 
 thorised to take the management of the 
 garden, he arranged it according to his own 
 method, and became actually a teacher in 
 the very place where he had, the year 
 before, applied for the humble situation of 
 gardener. His prospects were now bright 
 and hopeful ; Dr. Kudbeck thought so well 
 of him that he engaged him as tutor to his 
 children, and took him into his own house, 
 in that capacity, by which means he had 
 access to a fine collection of books and 
 drawings on natural history. He tells us
 
 28 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 that, at this period, his mornings were 
 passed in giving instructions to the stu- 
 dents, and his evenings in composing " the 
 new system," and "meditating a general 
 reformation of botanical science/' It was 
 now, too, that he began his Bibliotheca 
 Botanica, Classes Plantarum, Critica Bo- 
 tanica, and Genera Plantar um, though these 
 works were not completed till about seven 
 years after, when he published them in 
 Holland, during his stay there. After 
 thus enumerating his engagements, he adds 
 significantly " hence not a moment 
 passed unoccupied during his residence 
 at Upsala/' 
 
 Linnaeus was not, however, permitted long 
 to enjoy, without interruption, his new 
 prosperity. "Scarcely had he surmounted 
 poverty, before he became an object of 
 envy/' and found himself compelled to re-
 
 LIFE OP LINN^IUS. 29 
 
 nounce the flattering hopes he had che- 
 rished. In the following year, Dr. Rosen 
 returned from his foreign travels, and being 
 in high professional reputation at Upsala, 
 hoped to procure the reversion of Professor 
 Rudbeck's office. He immediately applied 
 for permission to lecture publicly on botany, 
 which Rudbeck was unwilling to allow, 
 not judging him competent ; and he there- 
 fore tried to induce Linnaeus to give up the 
 lectures to him, spontaneously. This, how- 
 ever, Linnseus was prohibited doing by his 
 patron. This unfortunate collision of in- 
 terests appears to have awakened an evil 
 spirit of rivalry between Rosen and Lin- 
 nseus. This affair, together with a do- 
 mestic chagrin he endured in the family 
 of the Professor, made him turn his atten- 
 tion with eagerness to a new field which 
 opened before his adventurous spirit.
 
 30 
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 Rudbeck had often related to him the 
 curious facts he had noticed, and the plants 
 he had discovered during his travels in 
 Lapland, and in this way had excited a 
 great inclination in the mind of the youth 
 to visit that country. The whole fruits of 
 Rudbeck's expedition thither had unfortu- 
 nately been destroyed in the dreadful fire 
 at Upsala, in 1702 ; and the Royal Aca- 
 demy was then meditating the design of 
 sending out a second expedition of disco- 
 very to that country. The friends of Lin- 
 naeus succeeded in procuring his appoint- 
 ment to this laborious undertaking, and it 
 was decided he should set out on the 
 journey the year following. In conse- 
 quence of this arrangement, Linna3us left 
 Upsala in the autumn, and spent the winter 
 months in his native place. 
 
 He had been succeeded, in the home of
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 31 
 
 his childhood, by a younger brother, who 
 was at that time in his fourteenth year, 
 and who seems to have imitated the ex- 
 ample, or rather to have shared the natural 
 tastes of Carl. His parents, especially his 
 mother, had been deeply disappointed at 
 the failure of their expectations from their 
 elder son ; and now set their heart on 
 having, in Samuel, a worthy successor to 
 his father's office, in the room of Carl. 
 But the stripling showed a strong inclina- 
 tion to love flowers better than divinity ; 
 and it was only in compliance with the 
 earnest representations and commands of 
 his parents, that he yielded to their wishes, 
 and eventually became a preacher, in the 
 year 1741 ; on his father's decease succeed- 
 ing him in the rectory of Stenbrohult, 
 His natural predilections, however, still con- 
 tinued strong within him, and he shone as
 
 32 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 an eminent connoisseur and author in one 
 branch of natural science, and in the year 
 1768 published a work on the breeding of 
 bees, which met with so favourable a re- 
 ception that its author was called " King 
 of the Bees " (Bi Kung). It will be rea- 
 dily imagined that the two brothers, with 
 such natural similarity of tastes, enjoyed 
 the temporary season of intercourse now 
 afforded them, and which probably, in the 
 course of their lives, was seldom if ever 
 renewed for so long a period. 
 
 Early in 1732, Linnaaus left his father's 
 house, to set out on his arduous under- 
 taking. On his way to Upsala he paid a 
 visit to his former friend and preceptor 
 Stobceus, at Lund ; and studied his col- 
 lection of minerals, the only branch of na- 
 tural history with which (he tells us) he 
 was unacquainted He shortly after pro-
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 33 
 
 ceeded to Upsala, from which place he set 
 out on his journey alone, May 12, 1732 ; 
 " being at that time within half a day of 
 twenty-five years of age." 
 
 During this journey Linnaeus travelled 
 over the greater part of Lapland, skirting 
 the boundaries of Norway ; and returned 
 to Upsala by the eastern side of the 
 Bothnian Gulf, having, in five months, 
 performed a journey of near 4000 English 
 miles, mostly on foot. He necessarily en- 
 dured many hardships, and vast fatigue, 
 and his life was several times imperilled. 
 Bogs and forests intercepted his way, and 
 food, even of the coarsest description, it 
 was occasionally no easy matter to procure. 
 Yet, amid all difficulties his spirit was un- 
 flagging, and obstacles only seemed to 
 quicken his zeal. The natural curiosities 
 of the country, the manners of the people, 
 
 D
 
 34 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 and the general features of the various 
 regions he traversed, all were observed and 
 written down for future use. He collected 
 above 100 plants, entirely undescribed and 
 unknown before, and upon his return ar- 
 ranged all the Flora of Lapland according 
 to his own favourite system, and delivered 
 publicly an account of his journey. 
 
 The result of Ms botanical observations 
 was not published till several years after- 
 wards, during his residence in Holland. 
 The general account of this expedition, 
 entitled Lachesis Lapponica, (or a Tour in 
 Lapland,) originally written in the Swedish 
 language, was translated into English for 
 Sir J. E. Smith, and published in two 8vo. 
 volumes. This expedition was the first 
 and most difficult of all the six journeys 
 of Linngeus. He spoke of it afterwards in 
 one of his academical addresses, in these
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 35 
 
 words: "My journey through Lapland 
 was particularly toilsome, and I own that 
 I was obliged to sustain more hardships 
 and dangers in that sole peregrination 
 through the frontier of our northern world, 
 than in all the travels I undertook in other 
 parts. But having once sustained the toils 
 of travelling, I buried in the oblivion of 
 Lethe all the dangers and difficulties I en- 
 dured; the invaluable fruits I reaped having 
 compensated for every toil." Writing to a 
 friend on the same subject, he says, " All 
 my food in those fatiguing excursions con- 
 sisted, for the most part, of fish and rein- 
 deer's milk. Bread, salt, and what is found 
 everywhere else, did but seldom recreate 
 my palate. One of the greatest nuisances 
 which I met with in Lapland, was the im- 
 mense numbers of flies ; I used to keep 
 them off by drawing a crape over my face. 
 
 D 2
 
 36 
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 
 
 . . . This numberless quantity of teasing 
 insects is not, however, without its utility. 
 They serve as food to the birds of passage, 
 and the latter are a valuable branch of the 
 Laplander's subsistence." 
 
 A short sketch of this tour, with occa- 
 sional extracts from Linnseus's diary, will 
 probably be acceptable to the reader ; and 
 the more so, as this is the only one of his 
 journeys the record of which is accessible 
 to us. 
 
 The youthful traveller started on his ad- 
 venturous journey " without incumbrances 
 of any kind, and carried all his baggage on 
 his back ;" by which means alone, he was 
 enabled to prosecute the objects he had in 
 view. Leaving Upsala by the northern 
 gate, he travelled for a considerable dis- 
 tance through fertile corn-fields, bounded 
 by hills, and the view terminated by exten-
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 37 
 
 sive forests. "With respect to situation 
 and variety of prospects," the young Swede 
 was of opinion that scarcely any city could 
 stand a comparison with this. At a short- 
 distance from the gates, he left, on the 
 right, old Upsala, the place renowned for 
 the worship of the primeval gods of Sweden, 
 and for the inauguration and residence of 
 her earliest kings. Here, in days of high 
 antiquity, human sacrifices were offered at 
 the shrines of the Pagan deities ; and here 
 our traveller noticed the three large sepul- 
 chral mounds, which tradition has assigned 
 to the bodies of Odin, Frigga, and Thor. 
 
 " Cheered with the song of the charming 
 lark," which attended his steps through the 
 lowland, his approach to the forests was 
 welcomed by the redwing, "whose amorous 
 warblings from the tops of the spruce firs/' 
 appeared to him to rival the nightingale
 
 38 
 
 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 
 
 itself. As the summer was advancing, he 
 thought it not desirable to lose time by the 
 way, nor to stray far from the high road, 
 in the early part of the tour ; but atten- 
 tively observing what presented itself to 
 him as he passed along, he noted the 
 various plants, animals, and insects, to- 
 gether with the general features of the 
 country. 
 
 Arrived in the province of Hedelpad, he 
 ascended its highest mountain, leaving his 
 horse " tied to an ancient Runic monumen- 
 tal stone/' He found several uncommon 
 plants here ; and from the summit, gazed 
 on the country spread out below, varied 
 with plains and cultivated fields, villages, 
 lakes, and rivers a most picturesque and 
 romantic region. The descent was very 
 difficult, and even dangerous. Leaving this 
 mountain, Linna?us took his route along
 
 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 39 
 
 the sea-shore, which was spread with the 
 wrecks of vessels, telling to the feeling 
 heart of the young traveller a sad tale of 
 woe. " How many prayers, sighs, tears, 
 vows, and lamentations all, alas ! in vain 
 rose to my imagination at this melan- 
 choly spectacle ! " he exclaims. The sight 
 reminded him of a student who, going by 
 sea from Stockholm to Abo, experienced so 
 severely the terrors of the ocean, that he 
 chose to walk back round the head of the 
 Bothnian Gulf, rather than adventure 
 himself again upon the deep ! This youth, 
 afterwards a Professor at Abo, assumed the 
 surname of Tillands, expressive of his at- 
 tachment to terra flrma, and Linnseus 
 named, in honour of him, a plant which 
 cannot bear wet. 
 
 In five or six days, Linnaeus reached 
 Hernosand, the principal town of Anger-
 
 40 
 
 LIFE OF LINX3TS. 
 
 mania, on the Bothnian Gulf, and visited 
 a tremendously steep and lofty mountain 
 called Skula, where was a cavern, which he 
 desired to explore. Here he was within a 
 hair's breadth of a fatal accident, for one of 
 the peasants who accompanied him, in 
 climbing up, loosened a large stone, which 
 was hurled down the track Linnaeus had 
 just left, and fell exactly on the spot he had 
 occupied. " If I had not (he says) provi- 
 dentially changed my route, nobody would 
 ever have heard of me more ; I was sur- 
 rounded by fire and smoke, and should 
 certainly, but for the protecting hand of 
 Providence, have been crushed to pieces." 
 From this point of the journey a change 
 came over the face of nature. The country 
 was covered over with snow, in some places 
 inches deep ; the pretty spring flowers dis- 
 appeared, and in their place nothing but
 
 LIFE OF LINN.EUS. 41 
 
 wintry plants were seen peeping through 
 the snow. At length, on the 23rd of May, 
 he reached Umoea, in West Bothnia, where 
 he turned out of the main road to the left, 
 designing to visit Lycksele, Lapmark ; by 
 which means he lost the advantage of the 
 regular post-horses, and found the ways so 
 narrow and intricate, that at every step 
 he stumbled. " In this dreary wilderness I 
 began to feel very solitary, and to long 
 earnestly for a companion (lie says) ; the 
 few inhabitants I met had a foreign accent? 
 and always concluded their sentences with 
 an adjective." As the night shut in, the 
 way-worn traveller began also to long for 
 a good meal, and has thus recorded the 
 result of his application, on arriving at a 
 village where he passed the night : " On 
 my inquiring what I could have for supper, 
 they set before me the breast of a cock
 
 42 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 of the woods, which had been shot and 
 dressed some time the preceding year. 
 Its aspect was not very inviting ; but the 
 taste proved delicious, and T found, with 
 pleasure, that these poor Laplanders know 
 better than some of their more opulent 
 neighbours, how to employ the good things 
 which God has bestowed upon them/' 
 The bird is prepared by a process of salting 
 and drying, and will keep even for three 
 years, if necessary. Linnaeus next pro- 
 ceeded up the river of Uincea as far as 
 Lycksele, where he was hospitably received 
 by the worthy pastor of the place, and the 
 next day, being Whitsunday, he stayed there, 
 and would fain have remained longer, but, 
 for fear of the floods impeding his journey, 
 he hastened his departure on the morrow, 
 and on the 1st of June entered the terri- 
 tories of the native Laplanders, passing
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 43 
 
 through wild forests, with no traces of 
 roads. A more desolate picture of wretch- 
 edness than this region presented, one 
 cannot imagine. Fenny marshes, flooded 
 by the rivers, and bogs utterly impassable, 
 where at every step the water was above 
 the knees, and ice at the bottom. "We 
 pursued our journey (continues the diary) 
 with considerable labour and difficulty, all 
 night long, if that might be called night 
 which was as light as the day, the sun dis- 
 appearing for half an hour only, and the 
 temperature of the air being rather cold." 
 The poor inhabitants had themselves, at 
 this season, nothing to eat but a scanty 
 supply of fish ; for they had not begun to 
 kill their reindeer, nor to milk them. In 
 addition to these evils, the villainous bites 
 of the gnats and other insects tortured the 
 unhappy traveller, till at length he ex-
 
 44 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 claims, " I had now my fill of travel- 
 ling!" 
 
 Gladly would he have returned by the 
 way he came, but he could find no road 
 back to the boat, and even the hardy Lap- 
 landers themselves, " born to labour, as the 
 birds to fly," could not help complaining, 
 and declared they had never been in such 
 extremity before. It is evident that even 
 the robust frame of Linnaeus was begin- 
 ning to yield to the combined effects of 
 fatigue, exhaustion, and hunger. He at 
 length obtained some food which he was 
 able to eat, and after incredible exertions 
 succeeded in retracing his steps to the river, 
 on which he again embarked, and returned 
 to Umcea ; having, as he ingenuously ac- 
 knowledged, " with the thoughtlessness of 
 youth, undertaken more than he was able 
 to perform."
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 45 
 
 From Umoea Linnaeus proceeded to Pi- 
 thosa, which he reached after two days' 
 journey "the night being as pleasant for 
 travelling as the day." He notices the 
 beauty of the fresh shoots of the spruce 
 fir, which constitute one of the greatest 
 ornaments of the forests which adorn this 
 part of Sweden. 
 
 Being anxious to proceed with all haste, 
 in order if possible to reach the Alps of 
 Luleau Lapland, " in time to see the sun 
 above the horizon at midnight, which is 
 beheld there to the best advantage," the 
 traveller made no longer stay at Lulea than 
 was needful for the purposes of exploring 
 the neighbouring coast and islands. He 
 has noted the various entomological and 
 other specimens he observed, and after ad- 
 miring the beauty of some of them, ex- 
 claims, in a sort of rapture, "The ob-
 
 46 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 server of nature sees with admiration that 
 the whole world is full of the glory of 
 God/' The last day he spent at Lulea, 
 he writes " Midsummer-day ; Blessed be 
 the Lord for the beauty of summer and 
 of spring, and for what is here in greater 
 perfection than almost anywhere else in 
 the world the air, the water, the verdure 
 of the herbage, and the song of birds." 
 After Divine Service next day, Linnaeus 
 left the town and embarked on the river 
 of Lulea, which he " continued to navigate 
 upwards for several successive days and 
 nights, having good accommodation both 
 as to food and boat/' At length he ar- 
 rived at Quick] ock, situated close to the 
 Alps. He was accompanied by a mine- 
 master, named Swanberg, who was at that 
 time journeying to Kurivari. During this 
 voyage, Swanberg, who had taken great
 
 LIFE OF LINNJIUS. 47 
 
 delight in Linnseus's conversation, " offered 
 to instruct liim in the art of assaying 
 within a very short time, if he would 
 agree to visit Calix, in his way home- 
 ward." At Quickjock, the wife of the 
 curate provided our traveller with stores 
 sufficient for eight days, and procured him 
 a Laplander, whose assistance as interpreter 
 and servant was highly necessary. 
 
 " On my first ascending these wild Alps 
 (he says), I felt as if in a new world. 
 Here were no forests to be seen, but moun- 
 tains upon mountains, larger and larger, as 
 I advanced, all covered with snow. No 
 road, no tracks, nor any sign of inhabi- 
 tants were visible. The declining sun never 
 disappeared sufficiently to allow any cooling 
 shade, and by climbing to the more elevated 
 parts of these lofty mountains, I could see 
 it at midnight, above the horizon. This
 
 48 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 spectacle I considered as not one of the least 
 of nature's miracles, for what inhabitant of 
 other countries would not wish to behold it ? 
 O Lord, how wonderful are thy works ! " 
 
 In this frozen region, there were no 
 traces of verdure, save in the deep valleys 
 between the mountains. Very few birds 
 were visible except some ptarmigans, those 
 hardy inhabitants of the bleak mountain 
 tops. A pretty little incident, recorded by 
 Linnaeus, shows so kind a heart, that it 
 must not be omitted here. "The little 
 Alpine variety of the ptarmigan was now 
 accompanied by its young. I caught one 
 of these, upon which the hen ran so close 
 to me, that I could easily have taken her 
 also. She kept continually jumping round 
 and round me, but I thought it a pity to 
 deprive the tender brood of their mother ; 
 neither would my compassion for the mo-
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 49 
 
 ther allow me long to detain her offspring, 
 which I returned to her in safety." 
 
 After a long and wearisome journey along 
 these mountain passes, the traveller reached 
 one of the cottages of the country. Here 
 the inhabitants, sixteen in number, received 
 him kindly, and gave him two reindeer 
 skins to sleep between. In the morning 
 some hundreds of reindeer came home to 
 be milked, and it amazed the stranger to 
 perceive that, although to his eyes they 
 were all perfectly alike, yet each of the 
 herd had its appropriate name, and was 
 readily distinguished by the owners. 
 
 Steering his course S.W., Linnaeus pro- 
 ceeded to the lofty ice mountains, or 
 " main ridge of the country," which he 
 had no sooner reached, than a storm over- 
 took him, accompanied by a shower of thin 
 pieces of ice, which soon encrusted his gar-
 
 50 LIFE OF LINN31US. 
 
 ments. The cold was intense, and the 
 whole country was one dazzling waste. 
 No sooner, however, had he crossed the 
 summit of the ridge than a change was 
 perceptible, and soon, from the lofty 
 heights, he beheld the ample forests of 
 Norway lying far beneath. The whole 
 appearance of the country was perfectly 
 green, and notwithstanding its vast extent, 
 looked like a garden in miniature. The 
 descent was slow and long protracted, but 
 at length he reached the plains, of which 
 he had enjoyed so glorious a prospect. 
 "Nothing (he exclaims) could be more de- 
 lightful to my feelings than this transition 
 from all the severity of winter, to the 
 warmth and beauty of summer. Oh ! how 
 most lovely of all is summer ! The ver- 
 dant herbage, the sweet-scented clover, the 
 tall grass, reaching up to my arms, the
 
 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 51 
 
 grateful flavour of the wild fruits, and the 
 fine weather that welcomed me at the foot 
 of these Alps, seemed to refresh me both 
 in mind and body." 
 
 Here Linnaeus found himself close to 
 the sea-coast, and he went to sea in a boat 
 to search for the natural productions of that 
 element. He would fain have approached 
 the celebrated whirlpool, called the Mael- 
 strom, but he found no one willing to 
 venture it. On the 13th of July, he ar- 
 rived at the parsonage house of Rorstadt, 
 from the occupant of which, himself a 
 traveller and a naturalist, Linnseus received 
 a cordial welcome. A rather significant 
 entry tells us that here, " in this far dis- 
 tant nook of the wide peopled earth," the 
 young enthusiast found an object of sur- 
 passing interest. "The pastor (he says; 
 has a handsome daughter, named Sarah 
 
 E 2
 
 52 LIFE OF LINN51US. 
 
 Rask, eighteen years of age ; she seemed 
 to me uncommonly beautiful ! " 
 
 The next morning, Linnseus took his leave 
 of this elysium, and proceeded on his way. 
 Climbing the mountains again, he found a 
 work of " no small fatigue and exhaustion," 
 and he has given us a most painful account 
 of the subsequent route he pursued towards 
 the Alps of Tornea, "What I endured," 
 he concludes, " is hardly to be described ; 
 how many weary steps I had to set, the 
 precipices that came in my way, and my 
 excessive fatigue. Water was our only 
 drink during this journey, and it never 
 appeared so refreshing as when we sucked 
 it out of the melting snow." At length, 
 tired of advancing further into this inhos- 
 pitable country, he determined to return to 
 Quick] ock. In the course of his journey 
 thither, his life was twice endangered,
 
 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 53 
 
 but at length he reached the place of 
 his destination, "having been four weeks 
 without tasting bread." After resting some 
 days at Quickjock, Linnaeus descended the 
 river again to Lulea, where he " learned the 
 art of assaying from the mine-master Swan- 
 berg, at Calix, in two days and a night ; " 
 and thence his journey was continued 
 through Tornea. He had intended to 
 visit the mountains, but before he could 
 get thither the winter set in, and he was 
 obliged to return along the coast on the 
 eastern side of the Bothnian Gulf. The 
 last entry in his journal is dated October 
 1 Oth, and is as follows "About one o'clock 
 P.M. I arrived safe at Upsala. To the 
 Maker and Preserver of all things be praise, 
 honour, and glory for ever ! "
 
 54 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE little plant, of which a figure is given 
 on the title-page, is the Linnsea borealis, 
 selected by the youthful naturalist as his 
 own flowery prototype. He afterwards 
 distinguished many of his friends by affix- 
 ing their names to various plants : and he 
 seems to have chosen this humble floweret 
 to be called after himself, when he gathered 
 it at Lycksele, May 29th, 1732. It is 
 common in West Bothnia, and in almost 
 all the great northern forests ; but it may 
 be easily overlooked, because it grows only
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 55 
 
 where the woods are thickest, and its 
 delicate twin blossoms are almost hid 
 among the moss, and interwoven with ivy. 
 Their smell resembles that of the Meadow- 
 Sweet, and is so strong during the night, 
 as to discover the plant at a considerable 
 distance. Linnaeus traces a resemblance 
 between this lowly Lapland flower and his 
 own early lot. Like it, unfolding in a 
 remote northern region, he was unknown 
 and overlooked, without the advantages of 
 fortune or place. The world thought not 
 of him, while, in poverty and obscurity, he 
 pursued his scientific researches ; few knew 
 or valued the solitary wanderer, who, 
 taking for his motto the words, " Tantus 
 amor floruin, " ("Thus great is the love of 
 flowers,") explored the recesses of nature, 
 and culled the treasures of the mountain 
 and glen, the forest and moor, returning
 
 56 LIFE OF LINNJ2US. 
 
 enriched with these sylvan spoils, which, 
 in due time, he presented, arranged in new 
 and beauteous order, to the delight and 
 astonishment of kindred minds in every 
 region. 
 
 At first, indeed, he seemed to reap but 
 a humble reward for his toils. " On his 
 arrival at home, he presented to the Aca- 
 demy of Sciences an account of his expe- 
 dition, which obtained their approbation, 
 and they gave him 112 silver dollars" (not 
 more thanlO) "his travelling expenses.'' 
 
 In the following spring he began a 
 private course of lectures on the art of 
 assaying (which he had learned so cleverly 
 from his chance companion during the Lap- 
 land journey). This art had never been 
 taught at Upsala before ; and the novelty 
 of the subject, the skilful manner in which 
 he communicated instruction, and the rea-
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 57 
 
 sonable terms he exacted, secured Linnseus 
 a considerable number of pupils. 
 
 Unfortunately that spirit of rivalry 
 whose germ had already occasioned him 
 so much trouble, now broke out afresh 
 with renewed violence. The jealousy of 
 Rosen was rekindled, and LinnaBus accuses 
 him, in his diary, of the meanness of ob- 
 taining, partly by entreaty, partly by 
 threats, his MS. lectures on Botany 
 (which he valued more than anything 
 else he possessed), and which he after- 
 wards detected his rival in surreptitiously 
 copying. This formidable enemy next pro- 
 ceeded to use all his influence to prevent 
 Linnseus from obtaining the means of sub- 
 sistence. He procured for another candi- 
 date the place of Adjunct in the Medical 
 Faculty at Lund, which would have been 
 very advantageous to Linnseus, and in the
 
 LIFE OF LINKZBUS. 
 
 following year obtained from the Arch- 
 bishop (whose niece he had married) an 
 order to prevent all private medical lec- 
 tures in the University. This act, for 
 which no motive can be assigned, save that 
 of a base malice, deprived Linnaeus of his 
 only means of obtaining a livelihood, and 
 seemed the death-blow to his hopes. It is 
 said that Linnaeus was so exasperated on 
 this occasion, as to draw his sword upon 
 Rosen. He has not himself recorded this 
 incident ; and, if he wished it to be for- 
 gotten, it may reasonably be inferred that 
 he regretted it. 
 
 Thus thwarted in his efforts to resume 
 his engagements at Upsala, Linnaeus turned 
 his attention to mineralogy, and in order to 
 improve his knowledge in this branch of 
 science he visited the great Swedish mining 
 districts. At Fahlun he was introduced to
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 59 
 
 Baron Reuterholm, Governor of Dalecarlia, 
 by whom he was employed to investigate 
 the productions of that province. Several 
 of his students applied for permission to 
 accompany him in this tour ; and he chose 
 seven of the ablest and most zealous among 
 them, forming, as it were, a caravan of 
 naturalists, by whose assistance he might, 
 with the greater ease, prosecute his objects. 
 He acted himself as Governor, and took 
 the lead of the whole enterprise, while to 
 each of the band he assigned a distinct 
 department, adapted to his knowledge and 
 capacities. 
 
 Nahemann, the first of the staff, had 
 signalised himself by a treatise on the 
 Dalecarlia n language ; and he was to act 
 as geographer, and give an accurate de- 
 scription of all the villages, mountains, 
 lakes, rivers, roads, &c., to say morning
 
 60 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 and evening prayers, and to preach on 
 Sundays. The second companion was a 
 naturalist, and was to make observations 
 on the four elements. The third acted as 
 metallist. To the fourth was assigned the 
 botanical part of the enterprise, in addition 
 to that of provider general of stores, &c. 
 The fifth was the zoologist of the party ; 
 and to the sixth the office of draughtsman 
 and general supervisor was entrusted. By 
 a strict observance of rules and regulations 
 laid down for the general direction of all, 
 the tour was carried out with the utmost 
 convenience and ease, and to the perfect sa- 
 tisfaction of the President, by whose saga- 
 city and excellent management the whole 
 was designed and effected. In the course of 
 this expedition, the mountains of Dalecarlia 
 were twice explored, and a part of Norway ; 
 and the materials collected formed the Iter
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 61 
 
 Dalecarlium, a work which, it seems, was 
 never published.* 
 
 After his return from this journey, Lin- 
 naeus remained at Fahlun, where he gave a 
 course of lectures on the subject of assay- 
 ing, which was numerously attended. Here 
 he soon gathered around him a circle of 
 friends and admirers. His diary thus 
 records his satisfaction : " Linnseus here, 
 at Fahlun, found himself quite in a new 
 world, where everybody loved and assisted 
 him, and he acquired considerable medical 
 practice/' Here he first became acquainted 
 with Browallius, afterwards Bishop of Abo 
 who conceived a particular regard for Lin- 
 nseus, and desired his instruction in botany, 
 
 * A particular fruit of this journey was a list of pasture 
 herbs, which was afterwards published under the title of 
 " Pan Suecus," and inserted in the second part of the 
 " Amoenitates Academical," a collection of the academical 
 dissertations of Linnaeus.
 
 03 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 mineralogy, &c. This judicious friend ad- 
 vised him to go abroad, and take his 
 doctor's degree, by which means he might 
 settle with more favourable prospects, and 
 he further suggested the desirableness of 
 aiming at some advantageous matrimonial 
 engagement. Over the management of the 
 latter delicate project, love and prudence 
 seem to have equally presided, and we 
 have, in Linnaeus's own account of the 
 matter, reason for believing that he at- 
 tained his wishes in every respect. He 
 says that Dr. John Moroeus, to the hand 
 of whose daughter he aspired, was a man 
 of considerable property (for his situation in 
 life); and it was evidently with some 
 trepidation that the penniless student ven- 
 tured to make his proposals. Probably 
 had he been instigated by prudence only, 
 he had remained silent ; but love was at
 
 LIFE OP LINNJ3US. 63 
 
 work, and tie ventured, at length, after 
 having assured himself of the favourable 
 dispositions of his mistress towards him, to 
 apply to Dr. Moroeus. The worthy phy- 
 sician "thought well of Linnaeus, but not 
 of his prospects in life." He wavered 
 about giving his consent to the union, 
 " voluit et noluit," says Linnaeus, in a 
 letter to a friend ; and ultimately decided, 
 that after a probation of three years he 
 would give his final answer. 
 
 Thus, in the 29th year of his age, Lin- 
 naeus found himself virtually betrothed ; 
 and it was thenceforward his grand object 
 to procure some settled and remunerative 
 occupation. Having fixed upon medicine 
 as a profession, he resolved, in accordance 
 with the advice of Browallius, to take a 
 doctor's degree. For this purpose he con- 
 trived to procure about 15, and set off
 
 64 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 
 
 on his way to the University of Harder- 
 wyck, " bent on seeing as much of the 
 learned world as his chances and means 
 might enable him to do/' He did not go 
 unaccompanied ; a medical student named 
 Sohlberg took the place which would have 
 been occupied by his beloved friend Artedi, 
 had he not recently left Upsala, to proceed 
 to England. His first visit was to his 
 native place, in order to pay his dutiful 
 respects to his father, who had, a short 
 time before, lost his faithful wife. She died 
 the preceding summer, in the 45th year of 
 her age. Thus she was not permitted to 
 see the success and honours which her 
 eldest-born was destined to achieve. Poor 
 mother ! Her sun had gone down when 
 it was yet mid-day ; she had borne the bur- 
 den and heat of the noon, but the season of 
 rest, of ingathering and rejoicing, she tasted
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 65 
 
 not in this life : for she is laid in her 
 lowly grave, in the shadow of the church 
 of Stenbrohult ; and thither her son re- 
 pairs, to shed in secret the tear of filial 
 love and regret. Perhaps he has never 
 more longed for the sympathy of a mo- 
 ther's heart than now, when he feels the 
 anxieties and fears of " hope deferred," 
 and to whom could he have so unre- 
 servedly communicated the thousand hopes, 
 joys, fancies, and desires that throng around 
 his heart, as to her who lies there ? Ah, 
 in vain he sighs, and longs for some re- 
 sponse; there is no sound save that of the 
 murmuring breeze that waves the harebells 
 which cluster over the greeri sod beneath 
 which she lies. "Alas! my mother;" 
 and again, " Alas, alas ! my mother," he 
 cries, and the bitter tears fall fast. . . But 
 soon he has dried them; he may not yield
 
 66 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 longer to grief: the day of life is yet be- 
 fore him, and he must gird himself and go 
 on his way; and do his work ere it be 
 night, and he too shall lie down and sleep. 
 Linnaeus continued his journey through 
 the southern provinces of Sweden, and 
 crossed to Elsineur, from which place he 
 proceeded, by sea, to Lubeck, and thence 
 to Hamburgh ; where he continued for 
 about a month. In this city he received 
 many civilities from the literati and scien- 
 tific men to whom he had introductions, 
 among others, Professor Kohl, Dr. Jcenisch, 
 and M. Von Sprekelsen. His whole time 
 was employed in " viewing the fine gar- 
 dens and everything else worthy of atten- 
 tion." The public library he examined 
 " with great eagerness/' and also the prin- 
 cipal cabinets of natural history, and the 
 botanical gardens, and private libraries,
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 67 
 
 in one of which he was much pleased at 
 finding the botanical work of Hay, which 
 he had so long wished to see.* 
 
 In the museum of the Burgomaster An- 
 dersen, there was a seven-headed monster, 
 which had been regarded as "a masterpiece 
 of nature," and figured by the celebrated 
 Seba, in his " Thesaurus :" it was esteemed 
 so valuable, that it had been pledged in 
 security for a loan of 10,000 marks (750). 
 " Linna3us thought himself extremely happy 
 in obtaining a sight of this curiosity, which 
 he viewed at the place where it lay, depo- 
 sited in a box about an ell and a half long, 
 and embalmed in a perfect manner. He 
 gazed with the utmost wonder at this 
 prodigy, and could not sufficiently admire 
 it ; " till at length, bent upon a close in- 
 
 * Linnaeus, as he frequently told Ms pupils, never ceased 
 to esteem Ray as one of the most penetrating observers of 
 the natural affinity of plants. 
 
 F 2
 
 68 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 spection of the marvellous phenomenon, 
 he, with keen eye, examined the gaping 
 mouths of the beast, some of which had 
 been shrivelled up, worn by the edge of 
 time, and showed the teeth, which, it seem- 
 ed to him, bore a strong resemblance to those 
 of weasels ! Weasels' teeth in a serpent's 
 mouth ! Strange, and wholly inconsistent 
 with the established laws of the Regne 
 Animal ! There must be something amiss. 
 Regardless of " disagreeable embarrass- 
 ments," and of all probable results, the 
 young naturalist pronounced the famous 
 seven-headed Hydra that rare masterpiece 
 of nature, which had formerly been exhi- 
 bited on an altar in a Catholic Church at 
 Prague (!) to be a deception, composed of 
 weasels' jaw-bones covered with serpents' 
 skins ! It may be readily imagined that 
 this discovery by no means enhanced the
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 69 
 
 value of the prodigy ; and in the end, Lin- 
 naeus found it would be his wisest course 
 to follow the advice of Dr. Josnisch, who 
 whispered in his ear, to begone with all 
 possible speed if he wished to avoid end- 
 less delays and litigations. " I had but 
 one friend in Hamburgh/' he was wont, 
 in after-years, to say ; "that was Dr. Jce- 
 nisch, and, truly, he was a friend indeed ! " 
 Without delay, therefore, Linnaeus pro- 
 ceeded to Amsterdam, where he spent 
 eight days, " and saw all the splendour 
 and expense bestowed on that city." 
 Thence he proceeded to Hardervyck, and, 
 after having undergone the requisite pre- 
 vious examinations, he obtained his degree, 
 June 23rd, 1735. On this occasion he 
 published and defended a thesis on the 
 " Causes of Intermittent Fever," in the 
 dedication of which to his friends and
 
 70 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 
 
 patrons, it is remarkable that among other 
 names we find that of Rosen. 
 
 Having obtained the object of his visit 
 to Hardervyck, Linnaeus returned to Am- 
 sterdam, and thence to Ley den, where he 
 visited Professor Van Eoyen. But, of 
 all the persons he met with in Holland, he 
 said, " there was none who paid him more 
 attention than Dr. J. F. Gronovius, who 
 returned the visit Linnaeus paid him, and 
 saw his Systema Naturae in MS., which 
 astonished him, and he requested permis- 
 sion to get it printed at his own ex- 
 pense." That work was accordingly 
 published in eight large sheets, in the 
 form of tables; "which edition (says 
 Sir J. E. Smith) is now a great bib- 
 liothecal curiosity." This was the germ 
 of that system upofl which are in a great 
 measure founded most of the zoological
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 71 
 
 systems in use at the present day, and 
 which many botanists still prefer to any 
 other. 
 
 By the advice of Gronovius, Linnaeus 
 waited on the celebrated physician, Boer- 
 haave, to whom, after eight days' applica- 
 tion, he obtained admittance. The ante- 
 chamber of this illustrious man was always 
 as much crowded as that of a minister 
 of state, and even Peter the Great was 
 unable to obtain immediate access to him. 
 So far had the renown of this oracle of 
 medicine extended, that a letter from the 
 Emperor of China, simply directed to 
 " Boerhaave the famous physician in Eu- 
 rope," was duly delivered. Boerhaave 
 showed Linnseus his garden (not far from 
 Leyden), stocked with all the plants that 
 would bear that climate, and Linnseus had 
 thus an opportunity of manifesting his
 
 72 LIFE OP LINNJ1US. 
 
 skill in the science of botany, of which 
 he availed himself to such purpose, that 
 Boerhaave advised him not to leave Holland 
 immediately (as he had intended doing), "but 
 to take up his abode and remain there. 
 This advice Linnaeus was not in circum- 
 stances to follow ; in fact, his little store 
 of money was now all expended, and (as 
 he significantly intimates) he knew the 
 disposition of his father-in-law too well to 
 trouble him on that score. He, therefore, 
 proceeded to Amsterdam, on his way home- 
 ward ; where, being desired by Boerhaave 
 to present his respects to Dr. Burmann, 
 the Professor of Botany, he found himself 
 most cordially welcomed, and so generously 
 urged to remain and make the house of 
 the Professor his home for some months, 
 that he yielded to the invitation, and re- 
 mained there till the year following.
 
 LIFE OP LINN51TJS. 73 
 
 During this period he printed his Fun- 
 dam enta Botanica, a small octavo of 36 
 pages, in the form of aphorisms ; of which 
 Sir J. E. Smith (in his biographical notice 
 of Linnseus in Rees's Cyclopaedia) says, 
 " It contains the very essence of botanical 
 philosophy, and has never been superseded 
 nor refuted. The subsequent performances of 
 the author himself and of his followers, have 
 been excellent in proportion as they have 
 kept to the maxims of this little book." 
 
 In connection with this publication, Lin- 
 nseus has recorded an incident which pleas- 
 ingly indicates his fidelity to the early 
 friendship of his youth. " No sooner (he 
 says) had I finished my Fundamenta Bo- 
 tanica, than I hastened to communicate 
 them to Artedi ; who, on his part, showed 
 me the work which had been the result 
 of several years' study his Philosophia
 
 74 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 Ichthyologica, and other MSS. I was de- 
 lighted with his familiar converse. Mean- 
 while, overwhelmed with business, I grew 
 impatient at his detaining me too long. 
 Alas ! had I known that this was the last 
 visit, and these the last words of my 
 friend, how fain would I have tarried to 
 prolong his existence \" 
 
 A few months previously Linnaeus had 
 found an opportunity of aiding his unfortu- 
 nate friend, whom he had met with at 
 Leyden, on his return from England, where 
 "he had spent all his money/' and was 
 now in great difficulty, having no means 
 of obtaining funds sufficient for his neces- 
 sities. His friend comforted him with the 
 assurance that he was now in circum- 
 stances to relieve his urgent wants ; and, 
 still more, he procured for him remunera- 
 tive occupation. He has thus recorded the
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ3US. 75 
 
 facts connected with this transaction, and 
 with the disastrous end of Artedi : " Al- 
 bertus Seba, a German apothecary at Am- 
 sterdam, had, a short time before, requested 
 Linnseus to assist him in completing the 
 third volume of his Thesaurus ; but, being 
 otherwise engaged, Linnseus could not accept 
 this offer ; and besides, this third volume 
 related chiefly to fishes, which he liked the 
 least of all the branches of zoology. Lin- 
 nseus went to Seba with Artedi, whom he 
 recommended as the first man in Ichthyo- 
 logy. The work was accordingly put into 
 Artedi's hands, with the promise of a hand- 
 some recompense ; and he lived comfort- 
 ably at Amsterdam, where he at length so 
 far completed the undertaking, that only 
 six fishes remained ; but, one evening, on 
 leaving Seba's to return to his own house, 
 he fell into a canal, and was, unhappily, 
 drowned."
 
 76 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 As soon as the tidings of this distressing 
 event reached Linnaeus, he went to Am- 
 sterdam, anxious to obtain possession of 
 Artedi's MSS. 
 
 When they were fellow students at Up- 
 sala, the two friends had reciprocally con- 
 stituted themselves heirs to each other's 
 books and manuscripts ; and the time was 
 now come for Linna3us to redeem his pledge, 
 and do all in his power to preserve from 
 oblivion the works of his deceased friend. 
 The landlord, however, having made out an 
 exorbitant bill, refused to deliver up his 
 effects, and it was necessary to have re- 
 course to the liberality of Mr. Clifford, to 
 advance the money. In 1738, Linnseus 
 published the principal of these MSS., 
 which was the work on fishes ; in the 
 preface to which he says " How fortunate 
 shall I deem myself if I have perpetuated 
 the memory of my deceased friend, and
 
 LIFE OF LINN!US. 77 
 
 rescued from oblivion a work which is one 
 of the best and most meritorious of its 
 kind !" 
 
 After LinnaBus had been some months 
 with Burmann, he was introduced to Mr. 
 Clifford, a rich banker, whose garden at 
 Hartecamp was one of the finest in the 
 world, and who was the most enterprising 
 botanist and horticulturist of the day. 
 He had been advised by Boerhaave to se- 
 cure the services of Linnaeus to arrange 
 and describe his magnificent collection of 
 plants and natural curiosities, and, certain 
 of finding in Linnseus a man equal to the 
 task, he considered himself fortunate in 
 persuading Burmann to give him up. 
 
 Thus was Linnaeus removed to Clifford's, 
 "where," he has told us, "he lived like 
 a prince, had one of the finest gardens in 
 the world under his inspection, obtained
 
 78 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 
 
 permission to procure all the plants that 
 were wanted in the garden, and such books 
 as were not to be found in the library ; 
 and, of course, enjoyed all the advantages 
 he could wish for in his botanical labours, 
 to which he devoted himself day and 
 night." He now first set about getting 
 his Flora Lapponica printed, and was as- 
 sisted by the contributions of a society at 
 Amsterdam, which offered to advance the 
 plates for it. This work, which is one of 
 the happiest literary compositions of its 
 author, is strikingly characteristic of the 
 state of his mind at the time it was 
 written. Its principal charm is derived 
 from the delight which the writer takes 
 in his subject. Sir J. E. Smith speaks in 
 terms of high admiration of it, and says, 
 " The enthusiasm with which his imagina- 
 tion retraces every idea of his Lapland ex-
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 79 
 
 pedition turns the wild scenes of that 
 country, even in the mind of his reader, 
 into a paradise inhabited by all that is 
 innocent and good. His effusions resemble 
 the longings of an exiled Swiss, and are, 
 in fact, incipient symptoms of that oppres- 
 sion of the heart which, after a while, ren- 
 dered his abode in Holland, with all its 
 scientific charms, no longer tolerable to one 
 born in the purer air of Sweden, and nur- 
 tured among her Lapland Alps."
 
 80 
 
 LIFE OF LINttEUS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN the year 1736, Linnaeus paid a visit to 
 England. He did so by the request and 
 at the expense of Mr. Clifford, who was 
 desirous to procure various botanical novel- 
 ties for his collection, and to communicate 
 with some of the most celebrated botanists 
 and horticulturists of the day. He carried 
 with him a letter from Boerhaave to Sir 
 Hans Sloane, the accomplished naturalist 
 and collector in natural history, and after- 
 wards founder of the British Museum. 
 This letter is still preserved among the
 
 LIFE OF LINN.EUS. 81 
 
 archives of that institution, and it is 
 written in the strongest language of re- 
 commendation. Notwithstanding such an 
 honourable introduction, however, the old 
 baronet was indisposed to do justice to the 
 merits of a young man whose innovations 
 on established systems he viewed with 
 suspicion and dislike ; he therefore treated 
 the stranger with coldness, and dismissed 
 him without any marks of regard. One 
 of the principal objects of interest to Lin- 
 nseus in this country, was the botanical 
 garden at Chelsea ; and from the keeper 
 of that collection, Philip Miller, the famous 
 botanist, he experienced much attention, 
 and was supplied with many rare plants, 
 and the garden at Chelsea was afterwards 
 the first in Great Britain that was ar- 
 ranged according to the Linnsean system. 
 Dr. Shaw, the oriental traveller, Professor 
 
 G
 
 82 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 Martyn, Peter Collinson, and many other 
 men of true science, received him as be- 
 seemed the high testimonials he bore, and, 
 admiring his genius, forwarded his objects 
 by all the means in their power ; and on his 
 return to the Continent, continued long to 
 correspond with him on subjects of mutual 
 interest in science. 
 
 From London our traveller proceeded to 
 Oxford, where he paid his respects to the 
 celebrated Dillenius, justly considered one 
 of the first botanists of the time. This 
 learned man was not by any means dis- 
 posed to regard Linnseus favourably. He 
 had received from Gronovius a sheet of 
 the Genera Plantarum, and conceiving it 
 to be written in opposition to him, was 
 irate, and, pointing to the young Swede, 
 said to a gentleman who chanced to be in 
 his company at the moment of Linnseus's
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 83 
 
 entry " See ; this is the young man who 
 confounds all botany ! " Linnaeus did not 
 understand English ; but the word con- 
 found, so similar to the Latin, confundere, 
 let him into the secret of the Professor's 
 words. He, however, showed no sign of 
 comprehending him. Linnaeus almost des- 
 paired of gaining the friendship of this 
 learned man, and obtaining from him the 
 plants he wanted. At length, on the third 
 day of his visit to Oxford, he went to take 
 leave of Dillenius, and, in parting, said 
 " I have but one request to make of you. 
 Will you tell me why you called me, the 
 other day, the person who confounds all 
 botany ?" Unable to evade so direct a 
 question, Dillenius took him to his library, 
 and showed him the sheet of his Genera 
 which he had obtained. It was marked 
 in sundry places with notes of query. 
 
 G 2
 
 84 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 "What signify these marks?" said Lin- 
 nseus. " They signify all the false genera 
 of plants in your book," answered the 
 other. This challenge led to an explana- 
 tion, in which Linnaeus proved his accu- 
 racy in every instance. The result was an 
 entire change on the part of Dillenius, who 
 afterwards detained Linnaeus with him a 
 month ; and found so much satisfaction in 
 his company, that he kept him always in 
 close converse, scarce leaving him an hour 
 to himself. At last he parted from him 
 with tears in his eyes, after making him 
 the offer to stay and share his salary, 
 which would have sufficed for them both. 
 
 There must, surely, have been something 
 peculiarly prepossessing in the manners and 
 address of Linnseus, by which he secured 
 the attention and won the good- will even 
 of strangers ; and, what awakens both
 
 LIFE OF LINN31US. 85 
 
 surprise and interest, is the fact that he 
 knew no modem language but his own. 
 How, therefore, he managed to carry on 
 an intercourse with others, it is difficult 
 to conceive ; above all, how it was that 
 he contracted a friendship and close inti- 
 macy with those whom he could only 
 address through the medium of the Latin. 
 He has expressly stated in his diary, that 
 he never learned any language ; not even 
 Dutch, though he lived three years in 
 Holland. " Nevertheless, " he ^says, " I 
 found my way everywhere well and hap- 
 
 piiy-" 
 
 Despite this great obstacle, Linnaeus 
 appears to have counted among his friends 
 and correspondents some of the fair sex, 
 in several countries. Lady Ann Monson, 
 in London, and Mrs. Blackburne, at Ox- 
 ford, were among this number ; and he
 
 00 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 had a most enthusiastic admirer in Miss 
 Jane Golden of America, who was intro- 
 duced to his notice, by one of his corre- 
 spondents, as the only lady then known 
 to be scientifically acquainted with the 
 Linnsean system. She had drawn and 
 described 400 plants, according to his 
 method, using English terms. Pleased 
 with the favour and interest thus mani- 
 fested, Linnaeus acknowledged his sense 
 of them by preserving the names of these 
 ladies in the vegetable kingdom ; and, 
 among others, he denominated two beau- 
 tiful plants, Monsonia and Coldenia. 
 
 The study of botany was so greatly 
 promoted and facilitated by the easy and 
 pleasant method introduced by Linnseus, 
 that it is no wonder the ladies acknow- 
 ledged with gratitude their obligation to 
 the naturalist who first originated a me-
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 87 
 
 thod by which this delightful study could 
 be brought within the attainment of all 
 who loved it. 
 
 Bousseau, in the preface to his " Lettres 
 sur la Botanique," says, after his piquant 
 fashion, " Nothing could be more absurd 
 and ridiculous, than, if a woman asked the 
 name of some herb or garden flower, to 
 give, by way of answer, a long tirade of 
 Latin names which sounded like a conjura- 
 tion of hobgoblins ! " In place of this 
 uncouth technology, Linnaeus substituted 
 an easy and descriptive nomenclature, which 
 renders the science more attractive, and 
 was, besides, far more appropriate to the 
 purpose. 
 
 Linnaeus is said to have been much struck 
 with London. " Of his observations on the 
 natural history of this country," observes 
 Sir J. E. Smith, " nothing is preserved but
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 a tradition that the golden bloom of the 
 furze on the commons about London, es- 
 pecially Putney Heath, delighted him so 
 much that he fell on his knees, in a rap- 
 ture, at the sight." He was always an 
 admirer of this plant, and vainly endea- 
 voured to preserve it in a greenhouse 
 through a Swedish winter. 
 
 Having fully accomplished the purposes 
 of his visit to this country, Linnseus de- 
 clined the many urgent invitations he re- 
 ceived to prolong his stay. During this 
 journey he had greatly enriched the garden 
 and herbarium of his excellent patron ; and 
 immediately on his return to Holland he 
 completed the arrangement of this fine 
 collection, and undertook the superintend- 
 ence of the Hortus Cliffortianus, a mag- 
 nificent volume, splendidly illustrated, in 
 which all the plants in Mr. Clifford's pos-
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 89 
 
 session were enumerated and described. 
 This work, he tells us, he both arranged 
 and wrote, and also corrected for the press; 
 performing the whole within nine months. 
 In the intervals of this arduous under- 
 taking, when fatigued by it, he used (to 
 employ his own expression) to " amuse 
 himself with the Critica Botanica, which 
 he got printed at Ley den." At the same 
 time he continued the impression of his 
 Genera Plantarum, which appeared in 
 1737. 
 
 So much constant study and exertion 
 seem, at length, to have affected his health 
 and spirits. He became so much enervated 
 that he felt no longer able to bear the 
 climate of Holland ; he pined for his na- 
 tive air, and, despite of all the advantages 
 of the situation in which he found himself, 
 he resolved to leave. Clifford was in des-
 
 90 
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 
 
 pair when he perceived the intention of his 
 favourite. He made him the most inviting 
 offers, which he urged with all the warmth 
 and earnestness of friendship ; but no tiling 
 availed. He " longed to be at home," and 
 persuaded himself that the climate of Hol- 
 land could not long be healthy for a 
 Swede. 
 
 On his way to Paris Linnseus went to 
 Leyden, designing to " bid farewell to all 
 his friends and acquaintance/' There he 
 was prevailed on by Professor Von Royen 
 to remain with him a few months, in order 
 to assist him in arranging the University 
 Garden. This determination on his part 
 was very displeasing to the friend he had 
 just left, and to whose entreaties he had 
 turned a deaf ear. He excused himself 
 to Mr. Clifford as he best could, assuring 
 him that he had no other motive than the
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 91 
 
 desire to do honour to himself and his 
 patron ; and he remained long enough to 
 accomplish his purpose. At the same time, 
 he assisted Gronovius with his Flora Vir- 
 ginica, which was published about the same 
 time as Yon Royen's Hortus Leydensis ; both 
 these naturalists having adopted Linnaeus' 
 names and principles. With his charac- 
 teristic industry, " that the evenings might 
 not pass uselessly/' he employed them in 
 working at his Classes Plantarum, which 
 was published during his stay at Ley den. 
 This work is " a complete view of all the 
 botanical systems ever known." Here, 
 also, he published his Corollarium Gene- 
 rum, and his Methodus Sexualis. 
 
 His indefatigable attention to the pur- 
 suit of science did not so wholly engross 
 Linnseus as to prevent him from enjoying 
 the recreations of social intercourse; and
 
 y LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 he has given an entertaining account of 
 some of his choice companions at Leyden. 
 A party of six or seven " kindred spirits " 
 formed themselves into a club, and, meet- 
 ing at each other's houses, discussed subjects 
 of mutual interest. Each was distin- 
 guished for something in which he pecu- 
 liarly excelled. John Lawson, a learned 
 Scotchman and traveller, was skilled in 
 history and antiquities. Of him Linnseus 
 makes honourable mention, as " a man of 
 great judgment." He also proved himself 
 substantially friendly ; for several times 
 he supplied Linnaeus with money, always 
 saying he had still enough left for his own 
 necessities. Liberkuhn, a Prussian, was 
 possessed of " incomparable microscopes," by 
 which he aided the investigations of the 
 rest. There were, beside, Kramer, a Ger- 
 man, "who possessed a wonderful talent
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 93 
 
 of remembering everything that was read 
 to him," and was learned in chemistry ; 
 and Von Swiaten, a skilful physician. 
 But of all the company, Linnaeus preferred 
 Johan Bartsch, whom he instructed in 
 botany and entomology, and whom he 
 has described as "a genteel, handsome, 
 ingenuous, and well-behaved youth." 
 
 This talented and promising young 
 student died prematurely, to the great 
 grief of Linnaeus, who had procured him 
 a medical appointment at Surinam, through 
 the influence of Boerhaave. He unhappily, 
 shortly after his arrival, fell a victim to 
 the climate and the ill-usage of the Gover- 
 nor, as Linnaeus has pathetically lamented 
 in his Flora Suecica, when writing of a 
 plant to which he had given the name 
 of his unfortunate friend. 
 
 Linnaeus continued at Leyden till the
 
 94 
 
 LIFE OF LINN^ITS. 
 
 spring of 1738. Not long before his depar- 
 ture, he had an affecting interview with the 
 great Boerhaave, then on his deathbed. 
 This illustrious man, who had proved him- 
 self so generous a friend to the young and 
 inexperienced naturalist, from the time of 
 his first arrival in Holland, was then so 
 ill that he received no visitors. He, how- 
 ever, made an exception in favour of Lin- 
 naeus, and took an affectionate and sorrow- 
 ful leave of him. His parting words were, 
 " I have lived out my time, and done what 
 I could. May God preserve thee, from 
 whom the world expects much more ! 
 Farewell, my dear Linnseus ! " Tears and 
 exhaustion forbade him to continue. On 
 the return of Linnaaus to his lodgings, he 
 found, as a parting gift from the venerable 
 invalid, an elegant copy of his Chemistry. 
 On the point of leaving Leyden, the
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 95 
 
 subject of this memoir was seized with a 
 very severe ague ; from which he had 
 hardly recovered, before he was attacked 
 by a more dangerous disorder. He at- 
 tributed his cure entirely to the skill and 
 attention of Dr. Von Swiaten (one of the 
 company of friends before alluded to). 
 He was indefatigable in watching the 
 invalid ; and as soon as he was able to be 
 removed, the amiable Clifford received him 
 to his former home, at Hartecamp, where 
 he spent some weeks, until his strength 
 was sufficiently restored to enable him to 
 travel. No sooner had he left Holland 
 and reached Brabant, than his whole frame 
 seemed at once invigorated, and he breathed 
 a new life. It had been the intention of 
 Linnaeus to travel through Upper and 
 Lower Saxony, and the Danish dominions ; 
 and to visit Baron Haller at Gottingen,
 
 96 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 and Professor Ludwig at Leipsic. But 
 all his plans were disarranged by his te- 
 dious illness, and he hastened on to Paris, 
 which he was very desirous to visit before 
 returning to Sweden. In this capital he 
 remained a month ; availing himself of the 
 advantages he enjoyed through the atten- 
 tions of the celebrated brothers Jussieu, to 
 whom he carried a letter of recommenda- 
 tion from Von Royen. He inspected the 
 botanic garden, the herbariums of the 
 Jussieus and others, and visited the neigh- 
 bourhood of Fontainebleau, where he "saw 
 no small number of exotic plants, and was 
 especially gratified by an opportunity of 
 examining almost all Vaillant's Orchideae 
 in flower." He also formed an acquaint- 
 ance with Reaumur, and other accomplished 
 naturalists, and was admitted a correspond- 
 ing member of the Academic des Sciences,
 
 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 97 
 
 a distinguished honour to be conferred on 
 a young foreigner. 
 
 Efforts were made to induce him to 
 settle at Paris ; hut his heart was set 
 upon his native country. He, therefore, 
 having seen all that was most remarkable, 
 took leave of his generous and truly liberal 
 friends, by whom he had been treated in 
 the most cordial and affectionate manner. 
 With Bernard de Jussieu, the younger 
 brother, he continued ever after to cor- 
 respond on terms of mutual amity. 
 
 Embarking at Rouen, after a passage of 
 five days our traveller reached Helsingburg, 
 in Scania, from whence he proceeded to 
 Stenbrohult, to see his venerable father. 
 After some days devoted to filial duty and 
 affection, Linnaeus hastened onward to 
 Fahlun, eager to behold again the object 
 of his affections, from whom he had been 
 
 H
 
 98 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 
 
 so long separated. They had constantly 
 corresponded with each other, by means 
 of a mutual friend, who unhappily proved, 
 in the end, unworthy of the trust reposed in 
 him, and endeavoured to supplant Linnaeus 
 in the affections of his mistress. This 
 treachery was discovered, and its author 
 condignly punished for his unworthy con- 
 duct. The lady received her lover favour- 
 ably, and they were formally betrothed. 
 It was necessary to postpone their mar- 
 riage till some eligible settlement could be 
 procured ; and Linnaeus turned his eyes 
 toward Stockholm, where he hoped to es- 
 tablish himself as a physician. According- 
 ly, in September, 1738, he took up his 
 residence in that city, with what results, 
 in the first instance, he has recorded after 
 a serio-comic manner. " Being unknown 
 to everybody, people were unwilling to
 
 LIFE OF LINN31US. 99 
 
 trust their lives in his hands. Nay, they 
 even hesitated to trust him with their dogs ! 
 Abroad he had been honoured in every 
 place, as Princeps Botanicorum ; but in his 
 own country, he was looked upon as a 
 Klim, newly arrived from the subterranean 
 regions ! No one cared how many sleepless 
 nights and toilsome hours he passed. Had 
 he not been in love, he would certainly have 
 left Sweden and gone abroad." This ad- 
 verse state of things continued a while ; 
 but, by a fortunate cure he effected, a 
 sudden change was wrought in the popular 
 feeling, and the tide turned in his favour. 
 " After so long a succession of cloudy pro- 
 spects," he writes to a friend, "the sun broke 
 out upon me. I emerged from obscurity 
 obtained access to the great, and every un- 
 favourable prestige vanished. No invalid 
 could now recover without my assistance ; 
 
 H 2
 
 100 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 
 
 I was busy in attendance on the sick, from 
 four in the morning, till late in the evening; 
 nor were my nights left undisturbed." 
 
 Notwithstanding these complaints, it is 
 evident that the scientific merits of Lin- 
 naeus were not overlooked by his country- 
 men. He was unanimously chosen a mem- 
 ber of the Upsal Academy, the only one 
 then existing in Sweden. Very shortly 
 after this time a plan was formed for in- 
 stituting a new literary society at Stock- 
 holm. The most active promoter of this 
 project was Captain Triewald, who fre- 
 quently consulted Linnaeus, Baron Hopken, 
 and Alstromer. These four meeting to- 
 gether, formed their regulations, and laid 
 the foundation of the Academy. This 
 society, however small in its beginning, 
 rose speedily to an honourable esteem, and 
 being incorporated by royal authority, was
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 101 
 
 by-and-by augmented with all the most 
 learned men of the country. The office of 
 President was first allotted to Linnaeus, 
 who, in compliance with the rules, held 
 the post three months, at the end of which 
 time he resigned it ; on which occasion 
 he made an oration in Swedish, on the 
 "wonders of the insect tribes/' This ad- 
 dress was printed in the Transactions of 
 the Academy. 
 
 The merits and fame of Linnseus rose 
 from this time into higher repute, and 
 attracted to him the attention of Count 
 Tessin, who had been tutor to the King 
 of Sweden, and was himself well versed 
 in the sciences, and a lover of natural 
 history. This nobleman showed him the 
 utmost favour, and through his influence 
 procured him a salary of 200 ducats per 
 annum, on consideration that he would
 
 102 LIFE OF LINK&US. 
 
 give public lectures on botany and mine- 
 ralogy. And this was but the commence- 
 ment of his benefits, which Linnaeus, desi- 
 rous of transmitting the memory of his 
 benefactor to posterity, has thus enumerated 
 in his last edition of his great work, the 
 Sy sterna Naturse.* " He received me, a stran- 
 ger, on my return ; he obtained me a salary 
 from the States, the appointment of phy- 
 sician to the Admiralty, the professorship 
 of botany at Upsal, the title of dean of 
 the college of physicians, the favour of 
 two kings, and recommended me by a 
 medal to posterity." 
 
 Linnaeus appears to have marvelled at 
 his own sudden prosperity, which, he inge- 
 nuously says, came to him without any 
 special merit of his own. In addition to 
 the lucrative situations thus given him, 
 * Edit. Optima. [XII.] Holm., 1766.
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 103 
 
 his practice as a physician continued to 
 increase, and brought him in what he re- 
 garded as a large income. This propi- 
 tious season he considered, "the proper 
 time for reaping the fruit of all his pains." 
 He, therefore, entreated that his marriage 
 might not be any longer delayed ; and 
 as Dr. Moroeus yielded his consent, this 
 request was acceded to, and on the 26th 
 of June, 1739, he was married to Sara 
 Elizabeth Morcea, at the country house 
 of her father, near Fahlun. 
 
 At the end of a month Linnaeus carried 
 his bride to her new home, being anxious 
 to resume the duties with which he had 
 been entrusted. Shortly after his return, 
 he received a letter from the celebrated 
 Haller, containing a most generous pro- 
 posal, which, had it arrived a few months 
 earlier, when Linnaeus was in so much
 
 304 LIFE OF LINN51US. 
 
 perplexity and want, might possibly have 
 effected an entire change in his future 
 course. It will be remembered that Lin- 
 naeus wished to visit Haller on his home- 
 ward journey, but was prevented doing 
 so by his long illness at Leyden. They 
 had, for some time previous, carried on a 
 correspondence which was commenced by 
 Linnaeus, who, having heard from Grono- 
 vius a report that Haller intended to 
 write against his new system, addressed 
 to him a letter deprecating his opposition, 
 and begging for his friendship. In this 
 letter he expresses, in most earnest and 
 reiterated language, his aversion to all con- 
 troversy ; and declares it to be his opinion 
 that all teachers and professors should es- 
 pecially eschew it, as calculated to detract 
 from their dignity and usefulness. " What 
 man (he asks) was ever so learned and
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 105 
 
 wise, who, in correcting others, did not 
 now and then show he needed correction 
 himself? Something always sticks to him. 
 I dread all controversies. Who ever fought 
 without some wound or hurt ? Time is 
 too precious ; and can be far better em- 
 ployed by us both. Besides, the serious 
 contentions of our time may, fifty years 
 hence, seem to our successors no better 
 than a puppet-show ; let there be peace 
 between us ! " 
 
 What good sense and practical wisdom 
 are here displayed ! How much would the 
 interests of science and truth have been 
 promoted, if all philosophers had spoken 
 and acted in accordance with these senti- 
 ments ! The anxiety of Linna3us was 
 speedily removed by an amicable reply 
 from Haller, assuring him that the report 
 which alarmed him was but an idle tale,
 
 106 LIFE OF LINN51US. 
 
 and at the same time expressing his cordial 
 disposition to fraternize with one whom 
 he regarded as a co-worker. From this 
 time these two remarkable men continued 
 a friendly intercourse, which was, however, 
 not ^infrequently disturbed by jealousy and 
 literary disagreement. Considering their 
 different genius and way of thinking, it 
 could hardly have been otherwise. Lin- 
 naeus aspired to reign as monarch over the 
 science of his choice, and claimed universal 
 homage. Haller, piqued and indignant at 
 so much assumption, said, " this man re- 
 gards himself as a second Adam, and gives 
 names to all the animals, according to their 
 distinctive marks, (a significant concession !) 
 without ever caring for his predecessors. 
 He can hardly forbear to make man a 
 monkey, or the monkey a man ! " 
 
 Notwithstanding these occasional skir-
 
 LIFE OF LINNMJS. 107 
 
 mishes, the personal and reciprocal esteem 
 and regard between the two illustrious 
 rivals was genuine and prolonged. Haller 
 gave a striking proof of his good will to 
 Linnaeus in the letter above referred to. 
 He was, at that time, meditating a return 
 to Bern, and, in the prospect of relin- 
 quishing his Professorship of Botany at 
 Gottingen, he proposed to instal Linnaeus 
 in his place. " I have fixed upon you (he 
 writes), if the situation be worth your 
 having, to inherit my garden and my 
 honours ; and I have spoken on this sub- 
 ject to those in whose hands these concerns 
 are placed." Linnaeus, in his reply (dated 
 Stockholm, September 12, 1739), acknow- 
 ledges, in the warmest terms, his sense of 
 so much kindness. " I can only say (he 
 concludes) in one word, I have had a nume- 
 rous acquaintance among my fellow crea-
 
 108 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 
 
 tures, and many have been kindly attached to 
 me, but none has ever made me so bountiful 
 an offer as yourself. I can't give you an 
 answer ; but, as you have placed yourself 
 in the light of a father to me, I will lay 
 before you a short history of my life up to 
 the present time/' He goes on to narrate, 
 in a few words, the principal events of his 
 history, concluding with his recent mar- 
 riage, and proposing to pay Haller a visit, 
 and bring his " little wife " with him. In 
 the answer to this letter, Haller makes 
 affecting mention of his personal affliction 
 in the loss of a wife endeared to him " by 
 her manners, her accomplishments, and her 
 connexions." He closes with these words : 
 " Adieu ! May you long live happy with 
 your Moroea, and enjoy deserved fame ! 
 But, may the Supreme Governor of all 
 things teach you, as well as me, that there
 
 LIFE OF LINN&US. 109 
 
 is nothing in this uncertain state which can 
 shield us against the terrors of an approach- 
 ing and inevitable eternity ; fame, riches, and 
 
 -' 
 
 the dearest attachments are of no avail ; 
 nor anything else but the divine favour." 
 
 Solemn and impressive language from 
 the lips of a man, who, in the midst of 
 life and its busiest and most fascinating 
 pursuits, had been suddenly arrested, and 
 taught the insecurity and insufficiency of 
 all he had hitherto accounted desirable 
 of attainment ! All was now " less than 
 nothing and vanity" in his esteem, for it 
 would avail him nothing in the day when he 
 must appear in the presence of God ! What 
 effect this touching appeal produced on the 
 mind of Linnaeus we know not. Possibly 
 it made slight impression, coming, as it did, 
 in the hour of his own domestic felicity, 
 and at the season when he had just attained
 
 HO LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 his warmest desires, and found himself, after 
 long and toilsome ascent, about to reach the 
 crowning pinnacle of his ambition. That 
 he was by no means an inconsiderate and 
 undevout observer of the works of the 
 Great Creator, has already been seen, in 
 the various allusions contained in his Lap- 
 land tour, and elsewhere ; and, in his 
 works generally, frequent and pleasing 
 evidence is given of his acquaintance with 
 Scripture, and of his desire to acknowledge 
 the sense he entertained of the divine per- 
 fections in the works of nature. Good and 
 excellent as these feelings in themselves 
 are, they must not, however, be suffered 
 to mislead the mind. We must not attach 
 so much importance to them as to suppose 
 that they constitute the whole of true re- 
 ligion. The heart of man is too prone to 
 mistake natural, for revealed religion. But,
 
 LIFE OF LINKZEUS. HI 
 
 to suppose that the truths which this last 
 alone can teach us, are to be learned by 
 the most attentive regard to this lower 
 world, and all its varied and marvellous 
 productions, is an error, fatal to the best 
 and highest interests of the soul. 
 
 Linnseus, in the preface to one of his 
 works, has suggested, that probably the 
 study of the various works of creation 
 formed one of the principal pleasures and 
 employments of the paradisaical state ; 
 and, indubitably, when man was pure and 
 unfallen, the book of nature was his 
 Bible, in which he read the perfections and 
 attributes of God, and saw, as in a mirror, 
 an image of things spiritual and divine. 
 But it is otherwise now ; and while, from 
 the birds of the air and the flowers of the 
 field, the Christian observer draws lessons 
 of humility, confidence, and love, he knows
 
 112 
 
 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 
 
 that in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ 
 alone he sees the whole mind and will of 
 God revealed. He has learned a the wis- 
 dom of God/' in the mystery of the Cross, 
 
 *& v*- T 
 
 and from that standing-point he looks on 
 the beauties and the marvels of creation 
 around him, and loves and admires them, 
 with a joy peculiar and surpassing, as he 
 recognises in them the handiworks of Him 
 who is "the brightness of the Father's 
 glory," and " by Whom also, He made the 
 worlds of Whom, and through Whom, 
 and to Whom are all things." /*> c~V^ 
 
 4$Wtr '"*fa\ - 
 
 *}w (w-^ c*-*^ "j "H-o 
 
 ^ - iC*~*- O*< 
 
 ' 
 
 
 

 
 LIFE OF LINN.EUS. 113 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OUR illustrious naturalist may now be re- 
 garded as having attained the objects of 
 his ambition. He found himself inde- 
 pendent in his circumstances, surrounded 
 by Mends and admirers, happy in his do- 
 mestic relations, and in circumstances to 
 pursue, with ardour and success, his 
 favourite studies. If the youthful reader 
 be disposed to pause awhile, and retrace 
 the steps by which Linnaeus had thus 
 reached so high a point in the toilsome and 
 difficult ascent to fame and honours, he 
 cannot fail to perceive that, while much 
 
 I
 
 114 
 
 LIFE OF LINN-EUS. 
 
 was undoubtedly owing to the original 
 talent with which he was endowed, yet 
 this alone would have been unavailing, had 
 it not been joined to an inflexible determi- 
 nation and an unwearying diligence which, 
 flowing from the principle of love, never 
 tired, but pursued, till they had attained 
 their object. His labours were incessant 
 and abundant. Though, at the outset, he 
 encountered a thousand obstacles and 
 drawbacks from the indifference and oppo- 
 sition of others, yet his hope and confi- 
 dence never failed. He had faith in him- 
 self; and strong in that self-reliance, he 
 bore up amid difficulties with a never- 
 flagging zeal. 
 
 He was not to be diverted from the 
 choice he had made ; but, even while com- 
 pelled to obtain the necessaries of existence 
 by lecturing and otherwise, was " inwardly
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 115 
 
 meditating a general reform of botanical 
 science/' His means were scanty, and 
 when lie had succeeded in procuring Tour- 
 nefort, the " principal guide" in the study 
 of botany, he was involved in great per- 
 plexity by the inaccuracies and imperfec- 
 tions of his system. In short, he "found 
 the science wholly neglected," and had to 
 arrange and methodise it. We cannot but 
 admire as we see him going over completely 
 new ground in the wide field of natural 
 history at large ; classing and naming birds, 
 insects, and flowers, often according to a 
 system which his own ingenuity and pene- 
 tration devised, to supply the deficiencies 
 of former naturalists. An accurate exami- 
 nation of the minuter parts of the object 
 under his consideration, frequently enabled 
 him to arrive at a juster conclusion as to 
 the order or genus to which it belonged, 
 
 I 2
 
 116 LIFE OF LIXNJEUS. 
 
 than those who had preceded him ; and 
 with an indefatigable industry, having as- 
 certained these points, he proceeded to 
 arrange and methodise for himself. 
 
 Having obtained such a satisfactory set- 
 tlement, accompanied by so many privi- 
 leges and sources of emolument, we might 
 have supposed Linnaeus would feel himself 
 permanently established at Stockholm. But 
 there was yet another object, on which his 
 heart was set. This was the botanic chair 
 at Upsala. A plentiful income was, indeed, 
 not to be despised ; and yet he sighed to 
 be released from his medical duties, that he 
 might devote all his time and attention to 
 his beloved science. One of his biographers 
 has said very quaintly and very truly, 
 " He was, upon the whole, fonder of meddling 
 with plants than with patients/' And, 
 writing to Haller, we find him complain-
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 1T7 
 
 ing, " Once I had plants and no money ; 
 now what is money good for, without 
 plants ?" 
 
 The post he coveted was vacated by the 
 death of Professor Rudbeck, shortly after 
 the marriage of Linnseus, and he offered 
 himself as a candidate. But, notwithstand- 
 ing his fame, he was disappointed in this 
 object. His former rival, Dr. Rosen, had 
 greater claims, according to the statutes of 
 the University, and to him it was given. 
 He attained, however, this summit of his 
 wishes very shortly after ; for the medical 
 chair in the same University being resigned 
 by M. Roberg, he was appointed to it ; and 
 by a private arrangement with Dr. Rosen 
 an exchange was effected between them, 
 giving him the superintendence of the 
 Botanic Garden and charge of the whole 
 department of natural history. In the
 
 118 LIFE OF LINN.EUS. 
 
 meantime the war between Sweden and 
 Russia began, and Linnseus being apprehen- 
 sive lest he should be commanded to attend 
 the fleet, in his official capacity as physician 
 to the navy,* thought himself fortunate to 
 receive, at this juncture, an order from the 
 States to travel through Oeland and Goth- 
 land, for the purpose of describing the pro- 
 duce of those countries. One principal 
 object to which his researches were directed, 
 was the discovery of an earth fitted to 
 make porcelain ; but in this he was un- 
 successful. His tour was, nevertheless, of 
 great utility. He made observations on 
 the habits and manners of the people and 
 on natural history in general ; and dis- 
 
 * During the year 1740 Linnseus acted in this capacity, 
 and it may not be uninteresting to mention, that, finding 
 himself, after his morning visits to the sick in the Naval 
 Hospital, constantly affected by a cardialgia, he attributed 
 it to the effluvia of the place, and found singular benefit 
 from the use of coffee.
 
 LIFE OF LINN51US. 119 
 
 covered numerous plants, some of them 
 useful in medicine and dyeing. Above all, 
 he first pointed out to the natives of those 
 shores the use of the Sea Reed Grass, to 
 arrest the sand, and bind together the soil 
 on the sea banks. In this journey he was 
 accompanied by six of his students, and 
 subsequently published an account of the 
 expedition. 
 
 Immediately on his return (in the au- 
 tumn of 1741), Linnaeus removed, with 
 his wife and infant son, born in the spring 
 of that year, to Upsala, which was thence- 
 forward his constant residence. On the 
 17th of October, he assumed his profes- 
 sorial office, and gave an address, occa- 
 sioned by his recent journey, on the Benefit 
 of Domestic Travel. This animated and 
 spirited discourse has been considered one 
 of the most pleasing of his orations. Pro-
 
 120 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 
 
 bably his love for his native land inspired 
 him with a zeal which gave life and energy 
 to his words ; and beside, he was doubtless 
 flushed with the pleasurable feelings inspired 
 by his recent appointment, and the attain- 
 ment of his most cherished desires. 
 
 Linnaeus appears to have enjoyed, to the 
 utmost, his new position ; and to have 
 found, in the discharge of its duties, the 
 happiness of his life. His attention was 
 first given to the Botanical Garden, which 
 he calls his " elysium ;" and the enthusiasm 
 with which he set about improving it knew 
 no bounds. At his appointment everything 
 was in a state of dilapidation and confu- 
 sion. This institution had been com- 
 menced about the middle of the preced- 
 ing century, by the celebrated Swedish 
 naturalist Rudbeck, and, under his aus- 
 pices, it flourished for a season. But the
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 121 
 
 dreadful fire which devastated the city in 
 1702 entirely destroyed it ; and the whole 
 tiling had fallen into decay. It did not 
 even contain fifty exotic plants. 
 
 Immediately on his instalment, Linnseus 
 applied to the chancellor of the University, 
 who, fortunately, was a man of scientific 
 acquirements and taste ; and it was re- 
 solved that the garden should be laid out 
 anew, a green-house erected, and the super- 
 intendent's house rebuilt. All this was ac- 
 cordingly done ; and before long Linnaeus 
 had the satisfaction of seeing the grounds 
 enlarged and properly laid out, and himself 
 in a suitable habitation ; the old house of 
 stone built by the Rudbecks which was, 
 he protests, " a veritable owl's nest," being 
 converted into "a lodging fit for a Pro- 
 fessor/' On the 18th of July, 1743, he 
 took possession of this commodious abode,
 
 122 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 
 
 which adjoined the Garden, and thus af- 
 forded him more favourable opportunity 
 for its constant visitation and superintend- 
 ence, and the embellishing and enriching 
 this place was the favourite study of his 
 life. His zeal, talents, and wide-spread 
 renown soon produced the desired effect, 
 and, in a few years, the garden at Upsala 
 ranked equal, if not superior, to similar 
 institutions in Europe. Contributions to 
 its stores continually poured in from all 
 quarters, and the most celebrated botanists 
 vied with each other in presenting to its 
 distinguished superintendent the treasures 
 of every region and climate of the globe. 
 Six years after the establishment of this 
 Garden, the new Professor published its 
 description. The number of foreign species 
 of plants at that time amounted to one 
 thousand one hundred. Filled with delight
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 123 
 
 as he beheld these fruits of his labours 
 with a glad heart he burst into this ani- 
 mated expression of joy and thankfulness, 
 on occasion of a public celebration. " I 
 render thanks to the Almighty, who has 
 ordered my lot so that I live at this day ; 
 and live, too, happier than the King of 
 Persia. I think myself thus blessed, be- 
 cause, in this academic garden, I am prin- 
 cipal. This is my Rhodus, or rather, my 
 Elysium ; here I enjoy the spoils of the 
 East and the West, and, if I mistake not, 
 that which far excels in beauty the gar- 
 ments of the Babylonians, and the porce- 
 lain of China. Here I behold myself the 
 might and wisdom of the Great Creator, 
 in the works by which He reveals Himself, 
 and show them unto others." 
 
 Linnaeus now continued, in an uninter- 
 rupted career, following out his duties as
 
 124 
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 Professor, and thoroughly absorbed in the 
 discharge of his general academical func- 
 tions. He published, in 1745, the first 
 edition of his Flora Suecica,* and in the 
 year following the Fauna Suecica ;* " which 
 works (says Sir J. E. Smith) are models for 
 similar compositions ; especially their second 
 editions, published many years after, with 
 specific names, and many valuable addi- 
 tions/' On the latter of them the author 
 tells us he had laboured 15 years. 
 
 As a teacher and lecturer, Linnaeus in 
 a particular manner distinguished himself, 
 and it will be interesting to regard him in 
 this character. Formerly the University 
 lectures had been neglected, or considered 
 more as a matter of form than of instruc- 
 tion. But, at his appearance a new epoch 
 
 * A description of the Swedish plants; and of the 
 Swedish animals, birds, fishes, insects, &c. A local 
 zoology.
 
 LIFE OF LINN^TJS. 125 
 
 commenced. The hall in which he de- 
 livered his addresses was presently crowded, 
 and, before long, overflowed. By his genius 
 he charmed, and by his enthusiasm he 
 earned away his hearers, so that he in- 
 spired them with a measure of his own 
 ardour; and his favourite. science, botany, 
 was now diligently studied, and its impor- 
 tance so highly rated, that a regulation 
 was made by which the young divinity 
 students were obliged to learn the elements 
 of botany and domestic medicine, to enable 
 them to act as physicians, in remote dis- 
 tricts, where professional aid could be but 
 tardily and with difficulty procured. 
 
 He gave lectures on natural history, the 
 medicinal properties of plants, dietetics, 
 and other, subjects beside botany ; and his 
 delivery is said to have been a model for 
 popular speakers, energetic, instructive,
 
 126 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 and entertaining. One of his hearers 
 eulogizes him thus, " Science streamed with 
 peculiar pleasantness from his lips ; he 
 spoke with a conviction and perspicacity 
 which his deep penetration and ardent zeal 
 imparted to him ; and it was impossible 
 to hear him without attention, and without 
 participating in his enthusiasm/' It is 
 evident he possessed, in a remarkable de- 
 gree, the power of personally interesting 
 his students and attaching them to him- 
 self. The results were very striking ; the 
 ordinary number of pupils had been 
 500 ; after his death it was reduced 
 to the same average. It now speedily 
 reached 1000; and in 1750, during which 
 year Linnseus was rector, it amounted to 
 1500. The fame of the University spread 
 over Europe, and even to America, and 
 young men of various countries flocked
 
 LIFE OP LINNAEUS. 127 
 
 thither. Impressed with the importance 
 of conveying instruction in a popular 
 manner, and by personal observation, Lin- 
 naeus took his students into the fields and 
 woods, there to gain an intimate acquaint- 
 ance with the productions of nature. 
 During his summer lectures he made excur- 
 sions, twice in the week, at their head ; and 
 was often attended by them to the number 
 of 200. They went in parties, to explore 
 different districts of the country, and when- 
 ever some rare or remarkable plant, or any 
 other natural curiosity, was discovered, a 
 signal was given, by a horn or trumpet, at 
 the sound of which the whole corps gathered 
 around their chief to hear his demonstra- 
 tions or remarks. After exploring the 
 neighbourhood "from early morn till dewy 
 eve," the various detachments congregating 
 together, returned with flowers in their
 
 128 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 hats, and, clustering around their leader, 
 marched to the sound of drums and trum- 
 pets through the city to the garden. The 
 eclat given to these floral exploits made 
 them matters of general interest, and not 
 unfrequently foreigners and persons of dis- 
 tinction came from Stockholm to accompany 
 Linnaeus and his young companions. 
 
 There is another circumstance connected 
 with the instructions of our naturalist, too 
 remarkable to be passed over. He com- 
 municated his ideas to his pupils in so 
 happy and persuasive a manner, that they 
 became converts to any system he had 
 himself adopted, and imbibed his zeal and 
 enthusiasm in the cause. Thus natural 
 history was studied, not merely as a branch 
 of polite education, but for its own sake, 
 and the advancement of the science. Never 
 was there so much done for its promotion
 
 LIFE OF LINN-EUS. 
 
 129 
 
 in so short a time, as during the period when 
 he flourished. His lecture-room became the 
 nursery of eminent and celebrated men, who, 
 possessing the same thirst for knowledge as 
 their master, travelled to all quarters of the 
 globe, to study Nature and collect her trea- 
 sures. Linnaeus gave them ample oppor- 
 tunities to exercise their talents, and, after 
 imbuing them with a love of foreign 
 travel and research by pointing out the 
 delight of discovery in the most fascinating 
 terms, he sent them out, on the right and 
 on the left, affording them his counsel and 
 assistance, and not unfrequently obtaining the 
 aid of Government in defraying the expenses 
 incurred. In a few years his most per- 
 severing and adventurous pupils were distri- 
 buted over the whole world, and we are as- 
 sured that their various histories would alone 
 form a volume of the most interesting kind. 
 
 K
 
 130 
 
 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 
 
 In his Critica Botanica, speaking of the 
 enthusiasm for science by which all its true 
 votaries have been distinguished, he says, 
 " Must I call madness or reason that desire 
 which allures us to seek and examine 
 plants? If I look back on the fate of 
 naturalists, I am persuaded that the irre- 
 sistible attractions of nature alone can in- 
 duce us to face such dangers and troubles. 
 No science had ever so many martyrs as 
 natural history/' He proceeds to enume- 
 rate a long list of those who fell a sacrifice 
 to their exertions in the cause ; and some 
 of his pupils painfully illustrated the truth 
 of these statements. Not a few of them 
 fell victims to the elements or the diseases 
 of a pestilential climate, and over several 
 their illustrious master shed the tear of 
 regret. Three of his young pupils found 
 an early grave in Asia. The first of these
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 131 
 
 C. Ternstroem, " a young man who 
 seemed born to collect natural curiosities," 
 went out to China, but unhappily died im- 
 mediately after his arrival. 
 
 Soon after, Linnseus became the origi- 
 nator of a second attempt. He represented, 
 in one of his lectures, in the most eloquent 
 and persuasive manner, the extraordinary 
 merits and great celebrity a youth might 
 obtain by travelling through Palestine, and 
 inquiring into and describing the natural 
 history of that country, which was at that 
 time unknown, and had become of the 
 greatest importance in the illustration of 
 Scripture, and the study of Eastern phi- 
 logy. This certainly was an enterprise 
 full of danger, but one to which a young 
 enthusiast, and one, too, of true Chris- 
 tian feeling and love, might gladly devote 
 himself. Such an one was Frederic Hassel- 
 
 K 2
 
 132 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 quist, who, listening to the eloquent words 
 of his master, said, " Send me." The ener- 
 getic representations of Linnseus, and the 
 obvious importance of the mission, awakened 
 a general interest, and private liberality soon 
 provided the necessary funds. The young 
 naturalist was successful in his mission, and 
 fulfilled the expectations of his patrons ; 
 but he was not destined to reap the re- 
 ward of his toils. The burning sands of 
 the Arabian deserts had affected his lungs ; 
 and he sickened and died on his way 
 home, in the thirtieth year of his age. 
 Linnseus published the journey of Hassel- 
 quist, and gave him a place of honour in 
 his catalogue of worthies. The project 
 thus commenced was revived shortly after 
 by the celebrated Professor Michaelis, of 
 Gbttingen, who demonstrated the necessity 
 of obtaining a more extensive knowledge
 
 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 333 
 
 of that country, which was the theatre of 
 most of the events recorded in the sacred 
 scriptures. Through his influence an ex- 
 pedition was sent into Arabia, and five 
 persons were selected ; among them Fors- 
 kal, a pupil of Linnseus, and well versed 
 in the eastern languages. The journey 
 proved fatal to all who engaged in it, 
 excepting M. Niebuhr, who afterwards 
 published an account of this memorable 
 expedition. Poor Forskal died, in the 
 thirty-first year of his age ; his observations, 
 however, were not lost ; his surviving 
 companion published them at Copenhagen, 
 and sent a copy of the work to LinnaBus, 
 who regarded Forskal as one of his most 
 worthy and excellent pupils "whose name 
 he never mentioned without respect." 
 
 Loefling, another favourite pupil of Lin- 
 na3us, was chosen by the Spanish govern-
 
 134 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 
 
 ment to travel through their South Ame- 
 rican settlements, where he sickened and 
 eventually died in the bloom of his youth* 
 distinguished for his zeal and talents. This 
 loss singularly affected his great teacher, 
 who said that, of all his travelling disci- 
 ples, there was none more remarkable for 
 his love of plants and his botanical learning, 
 nor had any a finer opportunity to enrich 
 his favourite science. 
 
 The melancholy fate of these young men, 
 cut off thus in the flower of their days, by 
 no means deterred others from following in 
 their steps. Among them were many whose 
 destinies were auspicious, and by whose 
 labours and talents the science of natural 
 history was advanced. The names of Kalm, 
 Thunberg, Sparrman, Solander, Fabricius, 
 and others, are well known in the scientific 
 world ; and there is perhaps nothing more 

 
 LIFE OF LINNMJS. 135 
 
 truly honourable to the memory of their 
 great master, than the fact that he was the 
 founder of such a school of able and en- 
 terprising men. 
 
 So much was he beloved and respected 
 by those whom he instructed, that they 
 prided themselves in transmitting to him 
 their collections, and communicating the 
 rich harvest of information and discovery 
 they reaped. Scarcely had he to complain 
 of an instance of ingratitude or neglect 
 among them. Not a few, settling in distant 
 universities, were afterwards promoted to 
 professorships, and did lasting honour to 
 the memory of Linnaeus, by promulgating 
 his system and illustrating it by their 
 writings. 
 
 The records of his diary are everywhere 
 interpersed with notices concerning the 
 proceedings of his pupils, and he notes
 
 136 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 down, with the most minute care, the 
 contributions he received from them, and 
 records the most striking events in their 
 history, occasionally breaking out into a 
 eulogy of one or other of his favourites. 
 Thus, Burmann he pronounced the most 
 penetrating of any he ever had under him ; 
 and of another he says, " How much I 
 loved and esteemed Gieseke, he cannot him- 
 self but know. I initiated him into the 
 higher secrets of science, and laboured to 
 instruct him in the natural orders of 
 plants." And again " If Fabricius come 
 to me with an insect, or Zoega with a 
 moss, I pull off my cap, and say, ' Be you 
 my teachers/ " These are Ms own words, 
 given verbatim. 
 
 To the poor, and even to the rich, foreign 
 students who resided at Upsala entirely on 
 his account, he was most generous ; refusing
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 137 
 
 the perquisites which he should have re- 
 ceived for his lectures. To the former he 
 remitted the money from purely benevolent 
 motives, while he declined it from the others, 
 that he might convince them how nobly 
 proud he was of his science, so that he 
 would fain make it free of cost to those 
 who sought after it. One of them having 
 repeatedly urged him to accept a Swedish 
 bank-note as an acknowledgment for the 
 pains he had taken to teach him, he said, 
 " Tell me, candidly, are you rich, and can 
 you afford it? Can you well spare this 
 money on your return to Germany ? If 
 you can, then give the note to my wife 
 but, if you be poor, so help me heaven, 
 I will take not a single farthing from you." 
 " You are the only Swiss that visits me, 
 and I feel a pleasure in telling you all 
 I know, gratis," was his answer to another
 
 138 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 
 
 who importuned him in the same manner. 
 Some of them, finding him inflexibly refuse 
 to take his fees, used slyly to leave the 
 money upon his chest. 
 
 This liberal conduct on the part of Lin- 
 naeus was the more honourable, as he was, 
 undoubtedly, parsimonious in his habits, 
 and fond of money. " Gold, the noblest of 
 metals, did not a little recreate his sight, 
 and inspire him with fondness." " And 
 why/' asks Dean Boeck, one of his most 
 intimate friends "why should not gold 
 have been amassed by him who hoarded up 
 all that was precious and beautiful in the 
 lap of nature?" An ingenious plea; but 
 there is another and more natural way of 
 accounting for these seeming anomalies in 
 his character. If we recall to mind the 
 extremes of poverty which so long and so 
 heavily oppressed him in his early days, we
 
 LIFE OF LINNMJS. 139 
 
 can readily account for a frugality which 
 sometimes bordered upon meanness, and no 
 longer wonder that he who had been at his 
 wits' end for a daily meal, knew too well 
 the value of gold to despise or squander 
 it. At the same time his natural benevo- 
 lence prompted him to generous deeds ; 
 and he found a pleasure in rendering to 
 young and meritorious men whose circum- 
 stances resembled his own, the same kind- 
 nesses as he had himself experienced at the 
 hands of a Celsius and a Rudbeck.
 
 140 LIFE OF LINN^SUS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WHILE the spirit of Linnaeus was thus 
 diffused by means of his disciples, and his 
 fame spread over most parts of the civilized 
 world, honours, both foreign and domestic, 
 accumulated upon him. He was admitted 
 a member into most of the scientific 
 societies of Europe. The Imperial academy 
 distinguished him by the name of Dioscorides 
 Secundus; a gold medal of him was struck 
 by some of his friends in 1746, and in the 
 following year he received from the king 
 the title of Archiater, that is, Dean of the
 
 LIFE OF LINN.&US. 141 
 
 College of Physicians. He was also the 
 only Swede chosen into the new-modelled 
 academy of Berlin. Although far from 
 indifferent to these things, he appears to 
 have felt a superior satisfaction in the 
 acquisition, about this time, of the her- 
 barium collected by Professor Herman in 
 Ceylon. It had fallen into the hands of an 
 apothecary at Copenhagen who was igno- 
 rant of the treasure he possessed. In his per- 
 plexity about naming the dried specimens 
 of plants he applied to Linnaeus, who speaks 
 in ecstacy of the delight it gave him to re- 
 cover this treasure, which had been missing 
 more than fifty years, and was given over 
 for lost. He spent day and night ex- 
 amining the flowers, which, from the length 
 of time they had been dried, occasioned him 
 much trouble. Hence originated another 
 of his works, the Flora Zeylanica.
 
 142 LIFE OF LINN.&US. 
 
 From the time that Linnaeus and Rosen 
 were appointed professors at Upsala, it 
 should seem that the credit of the place as 
 a medical as well as botanical school had 
 been rapidly increasing ; and it is certain 
 that the united zeal and ability of these 
 two able teachers attracted to the Uni- 
 versity many young men who were invited 
 to the study of medicine, by the excellent 
 manner in which it was taught. Although 
 Linnasus declares, in his diary, that he gave 
 up the general practice of physic on his 
 establishment there, he appears ever to 
 have paid great attention to the science, 
 and his lectures on medicine, diet, and the 
 animal economy were in high repute ; nor 
 is he, it must be confessed, at all behind- 
 hand in commending his own skill in this 
 department. In the year 1749, he pub- 
 lished for the use of his students, his
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 143 
 
 Materia Medica, and subsequently two 
 other works on medicine, the Genera 
 Morborurn, and Clavis Medicinse ; which 
 are pronounced by Sir J. E. Smith to be 
 at once striking and instructive. His idea 
 of a systematic arrangement of diseases 
 was afterwards carried out by other authors ; 
 and it is evident that the talent of Linnseus 
 was most conspicuous in his classification of 
 natural objects. He excelled in a happy 
 perception of such general characteristics as 
 brought together things most nearly allied 
 to each other ; and it was he who first 
 perceived and declared the difference be- 
 tween a natural and an artificial botanic 
 system. 
 
 During the summer of this year he tra- 
 velled, in the public service, through Scania, 
 the most southerly of the Swedish pro- 
 vinces, and on his return from this his
 
 144 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 sixth and last tour, he visited his birth- 
 place, where his venerable father had died 
 the preceding year, aged seventy-four, and 
 where he had now the satisfaction of seeing 
 his younger brother (the Bi-kung) honour- 
 ably installed as his successor in the living 
 of Stenbrohult. The following year, during 
 which he executed the office of rector of 
 the University, was one of laborious exer- 
 tion to Linnseus, who attributed to the 
 over-excitement and fatigue he had under- 
 gone, a violent attack of the gout, which 
 proved so severe as apparently to endanger 
 his life. He chanced one day, while the 
 malady affected him, to eat some straw- 
 berries, and experienced immediate relief; 
 and to this simple remedy he thought he 
 owed his recovery from that and other subse- 
 quent fits. To this illness, distressing as it 
 was to the patient, the world is indebted,
 
 LIFE OF LINN.EUS. 145 
 
 for the publication of one of his most 
 valuable and remarkable books, the Philo- 
 sophia Botanica. This work, " which em- 
 braces the whole range of botanic science, 
 and indeed all the principles of natural 
 knowledge," had been long projected, but 
 hitherto he had not arranged and selected 
 his materials, so as to communicate them to 
 others. This illness, however, prompted 
 him to rescue from the grave (to which 
 he supposed himself hastening) what he 
 believed would prove of value to those 
 he left behind. Accordingly, his pupil 
 Loefling was employed, sitting by his bed- 
 side, to write down whatever in the inter- 
 vals of his sufferings he was able to com- 
 municate ; and in this way was produced 
 the work of which Rousseau said, " It is 
 the most philosophical book I ever saw in 
 my life." 
 
 L
 
 146 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 The spirit and energy of the man were 
 evinced by such traits as these, of which 
 there are many sufficiently striking on re- 
 cord. For instance, it is said that when 
 he was confined by a violent access of his 
 disorder, the return of one of his pupils, 
 bringing a valuable collection of plants and 
 natural curiosities so delighted him, that, 
 springing up from his couch, he recovered, 
 through pleasure at the sight of these 
 treasures! On the other hand, the disap- 
 pointment of his expectations keenly affected 
 him in an opposite manner, of which he 
 gives a remarkable instance in his diary. 
 He had been very anxious to procure living 
 specimens of the cochineal, and one of his 
 pupils who had wholly applied himself to the 
 study of insects, returning from Surinam, 
 sent him a cactus with cochineals in a jar. 
 It chanced that Linnaeus was lecturing at
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 147 
 
 the time they arrived. The gardener opened 
 the jar, took out the cactus, cleansed it 
 from the dirt, and of course from the insects, 
 and replaced it in the jar. By this unto- 
 ward accident these long-desired treasures 
 were destroyed before Linnaeus even had a 
 sight of them, and so vanished all his hopes 
 of rearing them, in the conservatory. This 
 grieved him so excessively that it brought 
 on one of the most dreadful fits of lateral 
 headache (meagrim) he ever felt. 
 
 It is evident that he was never so much 
 at home, so entirely happy, as in his gar- 
 den, and while searching into the secrets 
 and hidden properties and workings of 
 nature. Hence he reckoned it among the 
 choicest favours vouchsafed him by Provi- 
 dence, that he had been "inspired with an 
 inch-nation for science so passionate," as to 
 become the source of highest delight to 
 
 L 2
 
 148 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 him. His diligence and minute observa- 
 tion were continually adding to his know- 
 ledge, and imparting some fresh light in 
 the study he loved. It is interesting to 
 see him carefully noting the observations he 
 thus personally made, and gradually per- 
 fecting his theories and systems. " He led 
 very active and bustling life," says one 
 who visited him at Upsala. " I never saw 
 him at leisure ; even his walks had for 
 their object discoveries in natural history." 
 On one occasion he had received the seed 
 of a rare plant, which he was anxious to 
 rear. He succeeded in this object. The 
 plant bore two flowers. Delighted with 
 them he desired the gardener to take 
 especial care of them ; and two days after, 
 returning home late in the evening, he 
 eagerly went to the garden to see how they 
 were thriving ; but they were not to be
 
 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 149 
 
 found. The next night the same thing 
 occurred. In the morning the flowers re- 
 appeared, fresh and beautiful as ever. The 
 gardener supposed them to be new ones, as 
 he had not been able to find them the two 
 previous evenings. The attention of Lin- 
 naeus was immediately caught, and he 
 visited for the third time, at nightfall, his 
 fugitive flowers. They were once more 
 invisible ; but he found them at last, 
 deeply wrapped up in, and entirely covered 
 by, the leaves. This discovery stimulated 
 his curiosity, and he visited his garden and 
 hothouses in the night-time, lantern in 
 hand, desirous of observing minutely the 
 condition of the plants under the influence 
 of darkness. He found the greater part of 
 the flowers contracted and concealed, and 
 the vegetable kingdom almost entirely in a 
 dormant state. From these facts he formed
 
 150 LIFE OF LINNJ1US. 
 
 his theory of the sleep of plants, and proved 
 that it occurred at regular periods, like 
 that of animals. This discovery gave him 
 the idea of forming a sort of vegetable 
 timepiece, in which the hours of the day 
 were marked by the opening and closing of 
 certain flowers ; and in the same manner, 
 he formed a rural calendar for the regula- 
 tion of the labours of husbandry. The 
 tables in this Calendarium Florae (as it was 
 designated) were formed from observations 
 made on the common plants of Sweden in 
 the garden at Upsala in 1755. Mrs. 
 Hemans's pretty lines on this subject 
 may probably recur to the mind of the 
 reader : 
 
 'T was a lovely thought to mark the hoxvrs, 
 As they floated in light away, 
 
 By the opening and the folding flowers 
 That laugh to the summer's day.
 
 LIFE OF LINN J! OS. 151 
 
 " Yet is not life, in its real flight, 
 
 Mark'd thus even thus on earth 
 By the closing of one hope's delight 
 And another's gentle birth ? 
 
 " Oh ! let us live so that flower by flower 
 
 Shutting in turn, may leave 
 A lingerer still for the sunset hour 
 A charm for the shaded eve." 
 
 About this time, the Queen of Sweden, 
 Louisa Ulrica, sister to the great Frederic 
 of Prussia, having a great taste for natural 
 history, showed much favour to Liimseus. 
 She had formed a very fine collection of 
 shells and insects, and he received com- 
 mands to repair to the country palace of 
 Drotningholm, to describe and arrange them. 
 Her Majesty was so much pleased with the 
 conversation of her distinguished subject, 
 that she treated him with the regard due to 
 an honoured guest, and, that he might have 
 everything to his content, permitted him to 
 indulge in his habitual habit of smoking,
 
 152 LIFE OF LINMGUS. 
 
 even in her apartments ; at the same time 
 giving him many proofs of her considera- 
 tion and munificence. Whether, however, 
 he felt not so entirely at ease as in his own 
 study, or his attention were distracted by 
 the variety of objects, it seems that the 
 work he produced on the museum of the 
 queen was by no means one of his most 
 correct. Indeed, after mentioning with 
 evident satisfaction the honours showed 
 him, Linnaeus somewhat significantly, and 
 very curtly, adds, " Thus was he obliged to 
 be a courtier, contrary to his inclination." 
 
 In the same year 1754 Linnseus also 
 published a magnificent folio volume, con- 
 taining descriptions of the rarer animals, 
 birds, &c., of the king's collection in Latin 
 and Swedish, with plates and a preface, 
 which is pronounced by a competent judge, 
 " one of the most entertaining and eloquent
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 153 
 
 recommendations of the study of nature 
 that ever came from the pen of an enthu- 
 siastic naturalist." 
 
 These services were rewarded by suitable 
 marks of royal favour and consideration, 
 and on the 27th of April, 1753, he re- 
 ceived from the hand of his sovereign the 
 order of the Polar Star, an honour which 
 had never before been conferred for literary 
 merit.* On receiving his patent of nobility 
 he called himself Von Linn4"f" and took for 
 the motto on his coat of arms, the words, 
 " Famam extendere factis ;" the helmet 
 which surmounted the crest was adorned 
 
 * Not long after, the King of Spain paid him a very dis- 
 tinguished compliment. He invited him to settle at Ma- 
 drid, with the offer of an annual pension, for life, of 2000 
 pistoles, letters of nobility, and the free exercise of his 
 religion. This extraordinary proposal proves in what esteem 
 the talents of Linne were held by foreigners. 
 
 f* In accordance with the universal custom of the coun- 
 try, which prescribes the prefix Von, and abolishes the 
 affix us, in the names of those who are ennobled.
 
 154 LIFE OF LINN^TJS. 
 
 with a spray of his own flower, the Lin- 
 
 In the same year appeared the Species 
 Plantarum, which his great rival, Haller, 
 terms his " Maximum opus et seternum." 
 It contained a description of every known 
 plant, arranged according to the sexual 
 system. On this masterpiece its author 
 had bestowed all his abilities ; but the 
 incessant labour and close confinement 
 brought on a pain in his right side, and 
 laid the foundation of a distressing in- 
 ternal disorder, from which he ever after 
 suffered. 
 
 The emoluments derived by Linnseus 
 from his various publications are said to 
 have been by no means great. His dif- 
 ferent appointments, however, had pro- 
 cured him a considerable degree of wealth, 
 and in 1758 he purchased the two estates
 
 LIFE OF LINMUS. 155 
 
 of Hammarby and Sb'fja, for above 2,330. 
 The former was about a league distant from 
 Upsala, and there, during the last fifteen 
 years of his life, he chiefly resided in the 
 summer. Here he kept, comparatively 
 speaking, a little University, his pupils 
 following him thither, and many of them 
 lodging in the neighbouring villages. To 
 several he gave private courses of lectures, 
 completely laying aside the state of a no- 
 bleman and Professor, while he discoursed 
 with them on his favourite topics. A few 
 years after he came into possession of this 
 property, he erected a small building upon 
 an eminence which commanded one of the 
 finest views imaginable of the surrounding 
 country, and there he kept his collection of 
 natural history. Numerous distinguished 
 visitors and all the curious came to see 
 this place, and pay their respects to its
 
 156 LIFE OF LINN&US. 
 
 distinguished owner, who relates with the 
 utmost naivete, the gratification it afforded 
 him to listen to their compliments. At 
 the same time he expatiates on. his plants, 
 zoophytes, shells, insects, and animals, not 
 forgetting the paper-hangings which adorned 
 his parlour covered with drawings of the 
 rare plants of the East and West Indies, 
 and the tapestry of his bedchamber em- 
 broidered with curious insects. 
 
 The mention of this villa, which he says 
 he bought chiefly for the enjoyment of his 
 family, naturally inspires a desire to know 
 something of the private character and life 
 of the great naturalist. From his own 
 account of his personal appearance, we 
 learn that he was a little below the stand- 
 ard height, and of a strong and compact 
 figure. He rather stooped in walking, 
 having contracted this habit from the fre-
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 157 
 
 quent examination of plants and other 
 objects. His head was large and a good 
 deal raised behind, and there was a wart 
 on the side of his cheek. His hair was of 
 a dark brown, till silvered by age, when 
 his brow became much furrowed and 
 wrinkled. His eyes were brown, bright 
 and piercing, and his sight exceedingly 
 keen. His ear, too, was very acute, and 
 quick in catching every sound except that 
 of music, in which he took no delight. 
 
 His natural temperament, he tells us, 
 was vivacious ; prompt to joy, sorrow, and 
 anger, but the latter was speedily appeased, 
 and he was so averse to disputes that he 
 never would answer any of his numerous 
 assailants. In his early days he was full 
 of energy and spirit, and through life his 
 movements were rapid and agile. In his 
 habits he observed the strictest temperance
 
 158 LIFE OF LINNJiUS. 
 
 and method. He never delayed anything 
 he had to do, and noted down immediately 
 what he wished to preserve in memory. 
 He has recorded that he never neglected a 
 lecture ; and by rigid economy of time, 
 and a regular and exact distribution of the 
 hours, he completed those extraordinary 
 labours which remain lasting proofs of his 
 talents, acuteness, and industry. 
 
 Linnaeus's foible was vanity, and in- 
 ordinate desire of fame. This is nowhere 
 more strikingly seen than in the pages of 
 his diary, from which such frequent quota- 
 tions have been made. This curious and inte- 
 resting document was drawn up by him for 
 the use of his intimate friend, Dr. Menander, 
 Archbishop of Upsala, to serve as materials 
 for a history of his life. It was evidently 
 written at different times, and by various 
 hands, and is disjointed and incoherent in
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 159 
 
 style, frequeut and abrupt transitions being 
 made in the construction from the third to 
 the first person. At the head of it Linnseus 
 wrote a few lines, in which he says, " I 
 have here drawn up my own panegyric, 
 which I should never have shown to any- 
 body in the world but the only one of my 
 friends who has proved himself ever and 
 unalterably such." 
 
 If it be unbecoming and even ridiculous 
 for a man to speak of himself as he has 
 done (observes one of his biographers), the 
 justice and accuracy of his statements, had 
 they come from any other source, could not 
 have been called in question. 
 
 It is agreeable to turn from the observa- 
 tion of this weakness in a great man, to 
 notice the pleasing little traits interspersed 
 here and there, in this private record of his 
 history, and especially the occasional touches
 
 160 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 of domestic affection. If he took delight 
 in mentioning the progress of his pupils, 
 and the acquisitions he made through their 
 means, with a still deeper feeling he alludes 
 to his children. Thus, after mentioning the 
 many kindnesses and presents he received 
 from his Royal Mistress, he adds, " But 
 what, above all, pleased Linnaeus was, that 
 the excellent Queen inquired after his only 
 son, and being informed that he had a taste 
 for natural history, she promised to send 
 him, at her expense, to travel over Europe, 
 in which gracious promise Linnaeus heartily 
 rejoiced." 
 
 At a somewhat advanced period of his 
 life another son was born to him, whose 
 early death he thus touchingly notices: 
 " My little son Johan, who had just begun 
 to talk a little, was attacked with the 
 epidemic cough which now prevailed, and
 
 LIFE OF LINSLEUS. 161 
 
 after having been ill eight days, he took leave 
 of this world, in the night, between twelve 
 and one o'clock. He had not attained 
 the age of three years." Beside these two 
 sons, Linnseus had four daughters, the eldest 
 of whom inherited much of her father's 
 taste for natural history. She first discovered, 
 while walking at nightfall in her father's 
 garden at Hammarby, a luminous property 
 in the flowers of the nasturtium, which are 
 sometimes seen to flash, like sparks of fire, 
 in the evening after dark. The youngest 
 daughter was cherished by Linnseus, as the 
 darling of his family ; and this predilec- 
 tion was, perhaps, partly occasioned by a 
 remarkable occurrence which took place at 
 her birth. She was, to all appearance, still- 
 born ; but her father, perceiving the vital 
 spark was not entirely extinct, hastened to 
 reanimate her by emitting his breath into her
 
 162 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 lungs. This treatment was successful, and 
 the infant revived and lived. The Danish 
 Professor, Vahl, is reported, when a student, 
 to have made an impression on the heart of 
 this young girl, but her father did not think 
 proper to countenance his advances. This 
 circumstance is supposed to have prevented 
 his showing that favour and encouragement 
 to the young Dane, which his talents and 
 scientific zeal deserved. Both these daughters 
 married. Of the two others, nothing is 
 known but that they remained single, and 
 after their father's death lived at Ham- 
 marby, with their mother, who survived to 
 a very advanced age. 
 
 Of this lady, Linnseus makes honourable 
 mention, and numbers her as among the 
 choice gifts bestowed on him. " She was," 
 he says, "the wife for whom he most wished, 
 and who managed his household affairs
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 163 
 
 while he was engaged in laborious studies." 
 The truth, however, undoubtedly is, that, 
 though a good housewife, she was in no 
 respect a pattern of a sweet and amiable 
 mother and spouse. Quite the contrary. 
 Her picture is thus drawn by one of the 
 pupils of Linnd, who had abundant oppor- 
 tunities of judging from personal obser- 
 vation. " His wife was tall, robust, domi- 
 neering, and selfish. She frequently robbed 
 us of the joys which brightened our social 
 hours ; and, destitute herself of the advan- 
 tages of a liberal education, her influence 
 worked disadvantageously for her children. 
 The young ladies, her daughters, were all 
 good-tempered, but rough children of nature, 
 and destitute of the external accomplish- 
 ments they might have acquired by a better 
 training." But the most extraordinary 
 and reprehensible point in her character, 
 
 M 2
 
 164 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 
 
 was an unnatural dislike to her own son, 
 which she manifested in the most offensive 
 manner, in a constant series of petty per- 
 secutions, so that, during his youth, he 
 lived in a slavish restraint and continual 
 fear of her. There appears to have been 
 no cause in the behaviour of the youth to 
 occasion this ill-treatment. On the con- 
 trary, he was of a gentle and docile nature, 
 and early distinguished himself by diligence 
 and industry in the studies to which he 
 was trained. In his eighteenth year he 
 was appointed Demonstrator in the botanic 
 garden at Upsala ; and when he attained 
 the age of twenty- one was nominated 
 Assistant Professor of Botany, in the Uni- 
 versity, with the promise to succeed to all 
 his father's academical functions. He is 
 said to have personally resembled Linnaeus, 
 and to have possessed a noble and excellent
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 165 
 
 heart ; but he was not endowed with the 
 same energy and resoluteness, nor had he 
 an equal degree of self-possession, love of 
 fame, and consciousness of superiority.* 
 The painful circumstances of his domestic 
 lot told unfavourably upon him, and chilled 
 and cowed his spirit, which would have un- 
 folded and strengthened beneath the foster- 
 ing care of maternal love. 
 
 But what can we think of the conduct 
 of Linnaeus, who appears to have yielded, 
 in a most reprehensible degree, to this 
 domestic tyranny ? That he loved his son, 
 is evident; but that he feared his wife still 
 more, can hardly be doubted 
 
 * As a lecturer, too, he wanted the animation which 
 characterized his father. His style is thus described by the 
 celebrated eminent mineralogist Schultz : "His delivery 
 was fluent ; but mixed with a certain cold indifference. It 
 appeared as if his exertions were rather a strict perform- 
 ance of the duties of his station than a real zeal, flowing 
 from a natural fondness for his science. His father, on the 
 contrary, betrayed, even in his conversation upon subjects 
 relative to natural history, an enthusiastic predilection 
 and a most scrutinising zeal."
 
 166 
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE year 1764 was marked by three 
 events of domestic interest in the life of 
 Linnseus. Early in the Spring he was 
 attacked by a violent pleurisy, which 
 threatened to cut short his existence. He 
 relates how, with great difficulty, and 
 through the kind assistance and consum- 
 mate skill of Rosen, he was brought safely 
 through the crisis. It is truly pleasing to 
 read in his private memoranda, the grati- 
 tude he felt to his old rival, and the ex- 
 pressions of intimate regard which thence- 
 forward prevailed between them. There is 
 something instructive and consolatory in
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 167 
 
 the thought that age and mature experience 
 operate to soothe the asperities and cool 
 down the rivalries of an earlier stage of 
 life, so that a man embraces, with a sort of 
 tender eagerness, any opportunity to be 
 reconciled to a former adversary, and to 
 heal the breach that has separated them. 
 This incident in the life of Linnaeus re- 
 calls to my mind an anecdote related by 
 Dr. Cockburn, of Sir Harry Moncrieff. 
 Chancing one day to meet a person who 
 had formerly been an illiberal opponent of 
 his, he seized the occasion to address the 
 man kindly, and with a degree of friendly 
 cordiality which somewhat surprised the 
 object of it. Being asked the reason of this 
 behaviour, he replied, " He is a foolish, in- 
 temperate, creature enough, but, to tell you 
 the truth, I dislike a man fewer every day 
 I live now !"
 
 168 
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 Recovered from this illness, Linnaeus re- 
 tired to Hammarby, to enjoy the fresh 
 invigorating air of the country, and to 
 celebrate his " Silfer Brollop,"* a Swedish 
 custom of commemorating the return of 
 the twenty-fifth wedding-day. Three days 
 after, he married his eldest daughter, Lisa 
 Stina (of whom mention has already been 
 made), to an officer in the Swedish army. 
 One of his most celebrated pupils, Professor 
 Fabricius, has given some interesting par- 
 ticulars respecting his eminent master, at 
 this period of his life. 
 
 " For two whole years/' he says, " I was 
 so fortunate as to enjoy his instruction, 
 guidance, and confidential friendship. When 
 I became acquainted with the Chevalier Von 
 Linne', although he had not attained his 
 sixtieth year, increasing age had already 
 
 * Silver Bridal.
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 169 
 
 furrowed his brow with wrinkles. His 
 countenance was open, almost constantly 
 serene, and bore great resemblance to his 
 portrait in the Species Plantarum. But his 
 eyes of all the eyes I ever saw, were the 
 most beautiful. They certainly were but 
 small, but they shone with a brilliancy, and 
 had a degree of penetration, such as I never 
 observed in another man. His mind was 
 noble and elevated, though I well know some 
 persons have accused him of several faults. 
 But his greatest excellence consisted in the 
 systematic order of his thoughts. What- 
 ever he did or said was faithful to order, 
 truth, and regularity. His passions were 
 strong and violent ; his heart open to every 
 impression of joy, and he loved jocularity, 
 conviviality, and good living. An excel- 
 lent companion he was, pleasant in conver- 
 sation and full of entertaining stories ; at
 
 170 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 the same time, suddenly roused to anger, he 
 was boisterous and violent, but immediately 
 his displeasure subsided, and he was all 
 good-humour again. His friendship was 
 sure and invariable, science being generally 
 its basis ; and every one who knew him 
 must be aware what concern he always 
 manifested for his pupils, and with how 
 much zeal they returned his friendship. 
 
 " Not a day elapsed in which I did not 
 see him, either being present at his lectures, 
 or, as frequently happened, spending several 
 hours with him in familiar conversation. 
 
 " We were three Kuhn, Zoega, and I, all 
 foreigners; and this was one reason why he 
 showed himself so exceedingly kind to us. 
 Jn winter we lived directly opposite his 
 house, and he came to us almost every day, 
 in his short red robe de chambre, with a 
 green fur cap on his head, and a pipe in his
 
 LIFE OF LINN.EUS. 171 
 
 hand. He came for half an hour, but 
 stayed a whole one, and sometimes two. 
 His conversation on these occasions was 
 extremely sprightly and pleasant. It either 
 consisted in anecdotes relative to the learned 
 men in his profession, with whom he had be- 
 come acquainted in foreign countries, or in 
 removing our difficulties, and giving us other 
 kinds of instruction. He laughed heartily, 
 and his countenance indicated the friend- 
 liness and good fellowship of his nature. 
 
 "In summer we followed him into the 
 country. Our life was then much happier. 
 Our dwelling was about a quarter of a 
 league distant from his house at Hammarby, 
 in a farm. He rose very early in summer, 
 mostly about four o'clock. At six he came 
 to us, because his house was then building ; 
 breakfasted with us, and gave lectures upon 
 the natural orders of plants as long as he
 
 172 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 pleased, and generally till about ten o'clock. 
 We then wandered about among the neigh- 
 bouring rocks, the productions of which 
 afforded us plenty of entertainment. In 
 the afternoon we went to his garden, and 
 in the evening mostly played at the Swedish 
 game of trissett, in company with the 
 ladies. 
 
 " Occasionally the whole family came to 
 spend the day with us, and then we sent for 
 a peasant, who played on an instrument re- 
 sembling a violin, to which we danced in 
 the barn of our farm-house ; and though the 
 company was but small and the dances 
 superlatively rustic, we passed the time 
 merrily. While we danced, Linnd sat look- 
 ing on, and smoking his pipe ; sometimes, 
 though very rarely, he danced a Polish dance, 
 in which he excelled every one of us young 
 men. He was exceedingly delighted when
 
 LIFE OF LINN.EUS. 173 
 
 he saw us in high glee, nay, even if we be- 
 came noisy. His only anxiety was, that 
 we might be well entertained. Those days, 
 those hours, will never be erased from my 
 memory, and every remembrance of them 
 is grateful to my heart I" 
 
 In this simple and natural picture we 
 get such a peep into the home life of Lin- 
 naeus as makes us better acquainted with 
 him ; and the bonhommie and kind-hearted- 
 ness here displayed give the key to much 
 of that popularity which he seems through 
 life to have secured. The freshness and 
 spring of his character continued as long 
 as his mental faculties lasted unimpaired. 
 The first symptom of decay in his powers 
 was a failing of the memory, which in his 
 youth had been so uncommonly vigorous. 
 Even at the time when Fabricius was with 
 him, he remarked with concern, that he was
 
 174 LIFE OF LINNMJS. 
 
 often unable to recollect the names of his 
 friends ; so much so, that, on one occasion, 
 he saw him much embarrassed, when, after 
 writing a letter to his father-in-law at 
 Fahlun, he had great difficulty in remem- 
 bering his name. These premonitory signs 
 of age did not prevent him from continuing 
 his usual engagements, and he laboured 
 diligently in preparing new editions of his 
 principal works during the succeeding three 
 or four years. 
 
 And now the shadows of evening began 
 to gather around him those cold shades 
 that make themselves felt, and whose chills 
 bespeak the near approach of darkness and 
 the grave. He saw his early friends and the 
 associates of his riper years fallen, or drop- 
 ping on all sides, and exclaimed, "Ego infelix 
 socius resto ; " and, casting his eyes on the 
 one of them in whose friendship he most
 
 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 175 
 
 confided, he committed to his care the diary 
 which has been spoken of, begging him, as a 
 last act of friendship, to translate it into 
 Latin, and to arrange and prepare it for pre- 
 sentation to the French academy, of which 
 he was a foreign member. He seems, before 
 sending it, to have added at the close, a 
 sort of summary of his deeds, his merits, 
 his honours and his obligations. With scru- 
 pulous care, and that love of truth and 
 justice which always characterized him, he 
 reckoned up, under the latter head, the 
 various aids afforded him by his pupils and 
 friends, and, conscious of his higher obliga- 
 tions, he enumerated the favours he had 
 received from the Divine hand which he 
 acknowledged had led and prospered him. 
 After stating that over the door of his room 
 he had caused this sentence to be inscribed, 
 " Innocui vivite ! Numen adest," and
 
 176 LIFE OF LINKEUS. 
 
 adding that he had " always entertained 
 veneration and admiration for his Creator, 
 and endeavoured to trace his science to its 
 author," he proceeded to record the deal- 
 ings of Providence on his behalf how God 
 had caused him to spring up from a tree 
 without root, and had planted him, and 
 made him to flourish, inspiring him with 
 an ardent love for nature, giving him what 
 he most desired, and, where he had failed 
 to attain his objects, making even his dis- 
 appointment subservient to his good ; 
 granting him favour in the eyes of the 
 learned and the noble, a wife and children, 
 houses and lands, and safety and protection ; 
 and he concluded with these remarkable 
 words : " He hath permitted him to visit 
 his secret council chambers, and to see more 
 of the creation than any mortal before him, 
 and given him greater knowledge of natural
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 177 
 
 history than any one had hitherto acquired. 
 ' The Lord hath been with him whitherso- 
 ever he hath walked ; and hath cut off his 
 enemies from before him, and hath made 
 him a name like the name of the great 
 men that are in the earth.' " 1 Chron. 
 xvii. 8. 
 
 There is something striking and impres- 
 sive in this close to the great naturalist's 
 autobiography. It is evidently the earnest 
 and sincere utterance of his heart ; the 
 acknowledgment of his fealty, his dutiful 
 tribute to the Divine Author of his being 
 and well-being. Would that he had added, 
 with the illustrious Bacon, " Thy creatures 
 have been my books, but thy Scriptures 
 much more. I have sought thee in thy 
 fields and thy gardens. I have found thee 
 in thy Word and thy Temples ! " 
 
 In December, 1772, Linnaeus resigned 
 
 N
 
 178 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 his office of Rector of the University, 
 which he had thrice exercised, and on this 
 occasion he gave an Oration " On the De- 
 lights of Nature." It was the last ever 
 delivered by him, and was so much admired 
 by the audience, that the morning after, 
 a deputation was sent to him in the name 
 of the University, to request that he would 
 print it in the Swedish language. 
 
 This address was a befitting termination 
 to the public exertions of the venerable 
 man who was himself the most striking 
 instance of that on which he dilated the 
 peculiar pleasure attending the pursuit of a 
 science, which, unlike so many of the ob- 
 jects in which men seek happiness, is one of 
 the richest and most permanent sources of 
 enjoyment. 
 
 Even beneath the pressure of increasing 
 infirmities the fondness of Linnseus for his
 
 LIFE OF LINN51US. 179 
 
 beloved studies continued undiminished, and 
 his desire of adding to his knowledge was 
 keen as ever. Some, of his letters at this 
 period are full of vivacity, and strikingly 
 express the ardour of his zeal. An idea of 
 their spirit may be gained from a short 
 extract taken from one (dated August 8th, 
 1771). "I received an hour ago" (he 
 writes) " yours of the 1 6th July, nor did I 
 ever get a more welcome letter, as it con- 
 tains the happy tidings of my dear Solan- 
 der's safe return. Thanks and glory to 
 God, who has protected him through the 
 dangers of such a voyage. If I were not 
 bound fast here, by sixty-four years of age 
 and a worn-out body, I would this very 
 day set out for London, to see this great 
 hero in botany. Moses was not permitted 
 to enter Palestine, but only to view it from 
 a distance ; so I conceive an idea in my 
 
 N 2
 
 180 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 mind of the acquisitions and treasures of 
 those who have visited every part of the 
 globe." 
 
 Not long before his final illness he wrote 
 in a similar strain, to Mr. Pennant, the 
 celebrated zoologist. After warmly thank- 
 ing Mm for the present of two of his works 
 on natural history, he adds, " I will peruse 
 and re-peruse your synopsis a thousand 
 times ; and after having read the work, I 
 will ask you many questions and never 
 prove ungrateful to you. I will enter into 
 no disputes about methods. Whether 
 nature is Calvinistic, Jewish, or Mahomedan 
 is all one to me, and the knowledge of the 
 species is the only thing I shall look to. 
 Would that I could see your other works, 
 especially that on birds ! " 
 
 In his reply to this letter, Mr. Pennant 
 entreated him not to forget his promise of
 
 LIFE OF LINN^IUS. 181 
 
 writing the natural history of Lapland, 
 which he had given in the preface to his 
 Flora Lapponica. He replied, " It is now 
 too late." (Nunc nimis sero inciperem.) 
 And, indeed, his labours were nearly at an 
 end. In the Spring of 1774, while lec- 
 turing in the Botanic Garden, he suffered 
 an attack of apoplexy, the debilitating 
 effects of which obliged him to relinquish 
 all active professional duties and to close 
 his literary occupations. In 1776 a second 
 seizure supervened, which rendered him 
 paralytic on the right side, and impaired 
 his mental powers so much that he became 
 a distressing spectacle. Yet, even then, 
 with the natural flow of cheerfulness so 
 peculiar to him, he thus described his own 
 situation : " Linnseus limps, can hardly walk, 
 speaks unintelligibly, and is scarce able to 
 write." Nature remained, to the last, his
 
 182 LIFE OF 
 
 sole comfort and relief. He used to be 
 carried to his museum, where he gazed on 
 the treasures he had collected with so much 
 care and labour, and as long as possible he 
 continued to manifest peculiar delight in 
 examining the rarities and new productions 
 which had been latterly added to them by 
 some of his pupils. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to find a more 
 striking illustration of the "ruling passion 
 strong in death," than is afforded in the 
 instance of Linnaeus. Well did he prove 
 the truth of the motto of his youth, 
 
 " Tantus amor Florum." 
 
 Lingering and painful were the last twelve 
 months of his existence ; but at length, on 
 the 10th January, 1778, he gently ex- 
 pired, in his sleep, having lived precisely 
 seventy years, seven months, and seven days.
 
 LIFE OF LINN^US. 183 
 
 The death of Linnaeus was regarded in 
 Sweden as a national calamity. The whole 
 University went into mourning, and all 
 the professors, doctors, and students then 
 at Upsala attended his funeral. The King, 
 in his speech to the States in the same 
 year, publicly lamented his death, and 
 ordered a medal to be struck in his honour; 
 and in 1798 a monument was erected to 
 him in the cathedral at Upsala, where he 
 was interred. 
 
 But the most enduring honours to the 
 genius of Linnaeus consisted in the extent 
 of his fame, and the influence of his labours 
 upon science. By his writings, correspond- 
 ence, lectures, and active zeal in sending 
 his pupils into all quarters, he inspired a 
 national taste for the study of natural 
 history, so that it became in Sweden " the 
 study of the schools, by which men rose
 
 184 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 
 
 to preferment/' And by the order, per- 
 fection, and immediate application of theory 
 to practical uses, which he introduced into 
 the science of botany, he awakened a 
 universal interest in it, which formed an 
 era in its history. The museum and library 
 of Linnaeus passed into the hands of his 
 widow on the death of his son (who sur- 
 vived him but a few years) ; and eventually 
 the whole collection was purchased of her by 
 the late Sir J. E. Smith, for the sum of 
 1029. The sale was precipitated before 
 the return of the King of Sweden, who 
 was then on his travels, and it is a 
 curious fact, that a vessel was despatched 
 by the Swedish Government, to intercept 
 the ship which was bearing away the 
 prize. The treasure, however, reached 
 England in safety, and its learned and 
 amiable owner, having gained possession of
 
 LIFE OF LINNJEUS. 185 
 
 it, showed himself desirous to communicate 
 the benefit of it as extensively as possible 
 to the public. With this view, he, in the 
 year 1788, drew the plan of an institution 
 to be called the Linnaean Society, intended 
 for the promotion of discoveries and im- 
 provements in natural history. Of this 
 society, Sir James was, most properly, 
 chosen president, and it obtained a Royal 
 Charter in the year 1802. In his will he 
 desired that the Linnsean Collection should 
 be offered, after his death, to the Society, 
 and it was accordingly purchased by that 
 body for the sum of 3000 guineas. 
 
 Having brought my pleasing task to a 
 close, I wish to add a few words recommen- 
 datory of the study of Botany for its own 
 sake. We are no longer in the infancy of 
 the science, and its utility is put beyond 
 question. Of its benefits no one doubts.
 
 186 LIFE OF LINN^US. 
 
 Our food, our physic, our luxuries, are all 
 improved by it. All this is acknowledged. 
 But are its benefits, as a mental exercise, 
 sufficiently considered ? And yet, what 
 study is calculated to afford more delightful 
 instruction to the young, at once gratifying 
 a taste for beauty, and training the youth- 
 ful mind to thought and observation ? 
 Affording, too, the most healthful gratifica- 
 tion and innocent enjoyment, its pleasures 
 spring up beneath our feet, and, as we 
 pursue them, reward us with simple and 
 true joys. All is elegance and delight in 
 this charming study, and there are no 
 painful, distressing or unhealthy experi-' 
 ments to be made. Its stores present an 
 inexhaustible variety ; the circling seasons 
 bring a succession of flowery treasures, and 
 even when Nature retires into her dormi- 
 tory, and sleeps beneath the warm shelter
 
 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 187 
 
 of her snowy coverings, there are her more 
 hidden secrets over which we may pore, 
 while we arrange the stores we have accu- 
 mulated, or imitate their beauties by the 
 mimic art of the pencil. 
 
 In short, the youth who loves botany 
 for its own sake has a pure source of hap- 
 piness always at command, and would find 
 himself neither solitary nor desolate had he 
 no other companion than a humble moss or 
 weed, finding, as he will ever find, some- 
 thing to examine or illustrate, and a great 
 deal to admire. 
 
 It has been said that almost every one 
 who takes up the study of nature, does so 
 either avowedly or tacitly hoping that he 
 may make some discover} 7 for himself. Nor 
 has the aspiring young naturalist any need 
 to despair ; for wherever persevering in- 
 vestigation is at work, new facts are
 
 188 LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 
 
 brought to light, and much that is curious 
 and valuable in natural history is con- 
 tinually being added to its stores. It may, 
 perhaps, at first sight, seem surprising that 
 much of interest in natural history has been 
 observed and verified in the immediate 
 vicinity of the metropolis. The reason is 
 soon given. It is because there are good 
 observers there who, determined to use their 
 eyes and understanding, see much that is 
 curious and instructive, though the hills 
 about Hampstead and Highgate are their 
 only Alps and Pyrenees, and the gardens 
 at Kensington their nearest approach to a 
 forest. Mr. Yarrell assures us that a young 
 ornithological friend of his sent him a list 
 of birds observed by himself in Kensington 
 Gardens, including nearly seventy species ; 
 an unusually large number for so limited 
 a locality, in such a situation.
 
 LIFE OF LINN31US. 189 
 
 A very striking and instructive fact, 
 proving how much may be done even by 
 one intelligent and active naturalist for the 
 advancement of science and the promotion 
 of general taste is given in Lord Cockburn's 
 Memorials. He mentions that the Horti- 
 cultural Society of Edinburgh was chiefly 
 the work of Patrick Neill, a printer. This 
 useful citizen was a most intelligent florist, 
 the author of several excellent works on 
 horticulture, and himself an amateur culti- 
 vator of flowers ; the exotics in his small 
 acre garden at Canonmills putting many a 
 grander establishment to the blush. Prin- 
 cipally to this man was due the commence- 
 ment of a society, " which " (says Lord 
 Cockburn) "was one of the first buds of 
 that extraordinary and delightful burst of 
 floral taste, which has since poured such 
 botanical magnificence over our great places,
 
 190 LIFE OF LINN51US. 
 
 and such varied and attainable beauty 
 round our cottages. It is not " (he con- 
 tinues) "in our public establishments or in 
 our great private collections that its chief 
 triumph is to be looked for; but in the 
 moderate place, the villa, and especially in 
 the poor man's garden; in the prevalence 
 of little flower societies, its interest as a 
 subject of common conversation, and the 
 cheap but beautiful and learned practical 
 works that are to be found in the houses 
 of the humblest of the people." 
 
 Encouraged by such examples, may 
 many a young reader of this little volume 
 be induced to devote himself with loving 
 zeal to the study of botany, and he will 
 assuredly reap an excellent reward, not only 
 increasing his knowledge and giving a use- 
 ful stimulus to his mind at present, but he 
 will be guided to thoughts and habits useful
 
 LIFE OF LINN51US. 191 
 
 for the future. For it is certain that no 
 one can rightly enter upon this and kindred 
 pursuits without having cause in the end 
 to pronounce them profitable both here and 
 
 /X 
 
 er. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 WoodfallaiidKinder,Priuters,Angel Court,Skinuer Street, London.
 
 LONDON, DECEMBER 1857. 
 
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 EOOKS PUBLISHED BY ME. VAN VOOEST. 15 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY OP THE BRITISH ISLES. 
 
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 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 Adams & Baikie's Manual of Nat. Hist. 10 
 Adams's Genera of Mollusca 4 
 Aikin's Arts and Manufactures 12 
 Anatomical Manipulation 9 
 Ansted's Ancient World 8 
 Elementary Course of Geology .... 8 
 Geologist's Text-Book 8 
 Gold-Seeker's Manual 8 
 Scenery, Science, and Art 11 
 Babington's" Manual of British Botany. . 6 
 Baptismal Fonts 13 
 Beale on Sperm Whale 1 
 Bell's British Quadrupeds 1 
 
 Page 
 Ibbetson's Geology of Isle of Wight S 
 Instrumenta Ecclesiastica 13 
 Jenyns's Observations in Nat. History. . 9 
 
 Johnston's British Zoophytes 4 
 Introduction to Conchology 3 
 Terra Lindisfarnensis 7 
 Jones's Animal Kingdom 9 
 Natural History of Animals 9 
 Knox's (A. E.) Game Birds, &c 1 
 Kambles in Sussex 2 
 Knox (Dr.), Great Artists & Great Anat. 9 
 Latham's Ethnology of British Colonies 10 
 Ethnology of British Islands 10 
 Ethnology of Europe 10 
 
 British Reptiles 2 
 British Stalk-eyed Crustacea 4 
 Bloomfield's Farmer's Boy 14 
 
 Man and his Migrations 10 
 
 
 Leach's Synopsis of British Mollusca . . 4 
 Letters of Rus^icus 10 
 Lowe's Faunae et Florae Maderee 6 
 Manual Flora of Madeira 6 
 Malan's Catalogue of Eggs 1 
 Martin's Cat. of Privately Printed Books. 1 1 
 
 Burton's Falconry on the Indus 2 
 
 Cocks's Sea- Weed Collector's Guide 7 
 Couch's Illustrations of Instinct 9 
 
 Cumiiiing's Isle of Man 10 
 Dallas's Elements of Entomology 4 
 Dalyell' s Powers of the Creator 10 
 Rare Animals of Scotland 10 
 
 J.lohl on the Ve^etab'e Cell 6 
 
 Motley and Dillvrvn's Labuan 11 
 Moule's Heraldrv of Fish 3 
 
 Newman's British Ferns 7 
 
 Domestic Scenes in Greenland & Iceland 12 
 Douglas's World of Insects 5 
 Dowden's Walks after Wild Flowers . . 7 
 Drew's Practical Meteorology 12 
 Drummoud's First Steps to Anatomy . . 9 
 Economy of Human Life 14 
 Elements of Practical Knowledge 12 
 England before the Norman Conquest. . 12 
 Entomologist's Annual 4 
 
 History of Insects 5 
 
 Owen's British Fossil Mammals 8 
 on Skeleton of Extinct Sloth 8 
 Paley's Gothic Moldings 14 
 
 'Manual of Gothic Architecture 13 
 Poor Artist 12 
 
 Prestwich's Geological Inquiry 8 
 
 Salvin and Brodrick's Falconry 2 
 
 Evening Thoughts 12 
 Everv-day Wonders 12 
 Flv Fishing in Salt and Fresh Water . . 3 
 
 Selby's British Forest Trees 6 
 Shakspeare's Seven Ages of Man 14 
 Sharpe's Architectural Parallels 13 
 'Decorated Windows 13 
 Shield's Hints on Moths and Butterflies 5 
 Siebold on True Parthenoeenesis 5 
 Smith's British Diatomacese ^ 
 Sowerbv's Thesaurus ConchyUorum .... 4 
 Spratt's (and Forbes's) Travels in Lycia 1 1 
 Stainton's Butterflies and Moths 5 
 History of the Tineina R 
 Strickland's Ornithological Synonyms.. 2 
 and Melville on the Dodo " 2 
 
 
 and Hanlev's British Mollusca 3 
 and Spratt's Travels in L\ cia 11 
 Garner's Nat. Hist, of Staffordshire 11 
 
 Birds of Jamaica 2 
 Canadian Naturalist 11 
 Handbook to Marine Aquarium . . 11 
 Manual of Marine Zoology 11 
 Naturalist's Kambles on Dev. Coast 11 
 Omphalos 8 
 
 Sunday-Book for the Young 12 
 Tugwell's Sea-Anemones 4 
 Vicar of Wakeiield, Illustr. bv Mulrcady 14 
 Wall on a new Sperm Whale 1 
 Watts's Songs, Illustrated bv Cope .... 14 
 Ward (Dr.) on Healthy Respiration 12 
 Ward (N. B.) on the Growth of Plants. . 
 White's Selborne 11 
 Wilkinson's Fifty-two Wild Flowers . . 14 
 Williams's Chemical Manipulation 7 
 Wollaston's Insecta Maderensia 5 
 on Variation of Species 10 
 Woodward on Polarized Light 10 
 
 Gray's Bard and Elegv 14 
 
 Gregg and Lettsom's British Mineralogy 7 
 Griffith & Henf rev's Micrographic Diet. 9 
 Harvey's British Marine Alga; 7 
 
 Sea-side Book 9 
 Henfrey's Botanical Diagrams 6 
 Elementary Course of Botany 6 
 Rudiments of Botany 6 
 Translation of Mchl 6 
 Vegetation of Europe 6 
 & Griffith's Micrographic Diet. . . 9 
 
 YarrelPs British Birds 1 
 British Fishes 3 
 
 Exotic Butterflies .... , . 6 
 
 on the Salmon ... .3
 
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