392 Obituary :—Sir J. E. Smith. 



earliest and most devoted disciples of the great Linnaeus. Tins city 

 has for more than two hundred years been famous for its florists and 

 botanists. Here lived and flourished Sir Thomas Browne, the author 

 of M Vulgar Errors," and " The Garden of Cyrus, or the quincuncial, 

 lozenge, or network Plantations of the Ancients, artificially, natu- 

 rally, and mystically considered." A weaver of this commercial place 

 claims the honour of having been the first person who raised from 

 seed a Lycopodium ; as a Manchester weaver was the first to flower 

 one of our rarest Jungermannice. During the middle of the last cen- 

 tury Mr. Rose, the author of the Elements of Botany, Mr. Pitchford, 

 and Mr. Crowe, names familiar to every botanist, took the lead in 

 botanical science in their native city j and instilled into the youth- 

 ful mind of the future President an ardent attachment to their fa- 

 vourite pursuit, and a skill in discriminating species for which these 

 gentlemen were so eminent. Having remained the usual time at a 

 school in the city, he went in the year 1780 to the University of 

 Edinburgh, where he distinguished himself by obtaining the gold 

 medal given to the best proficient in botany. 



Upon leaving Edinburgh he came up to London to finish his 

 studies, and soon became acquainted with the late Sir Joseph Banks. 

 This acquaintance, and the access it obtained fpr him to men of science, 

 only riveted more firmly his ardent attachment to botany j and ac- 

 cordingly, we find Sir Joseph recommending him as early as 1 783 to 

 become the purchaser of the Linnaean collection. As this circum- 

 stance laid the foundation of the President's future fame, and is one 

 of peculiar interest at the present moment, we shall detail the history 

 of the transaction. 



The younger Linnaeus had died suddenly, November 1, 1783} and 

 his mother and sisters, desirous of making as large a profit as they 

 could by his Museum, within a few weeks after his death offered 

 through a mutual friend the whole collection of books, manuscripts, and 

 Natural History, including what belonged to the father as well as the 

 son, to Sir Joseph Banks, for the sum of one thousand guineas. Sir 

 Joseph declined the purchase, but strongly advised Sir James Smith 

 to make it, as a thing suitable to his taste, and which would do him 

 honour. 



Sir James in consequence communicated his desire to become the 

 purchaser to Professor Acrel,the friend of the family of Linnaeus, and 

 who seems to have conducted the negotiation with scrupulous honour. 

 The owners now began to suspect they had been too precipitate ; 

 having received an unlimited offer from Russia, while also Dr. Sib- 

 thorpe was prepared to purchase it, to add to the treasures, already 

 famous, of Oxford. They wished to break off their treaty with Sir 

 James Smith ; but the worthy Swedish Professor would not consent 

 to it, and insisted on their waiting for his refusal. 



In consequence of the subtraction of a small herbarium made by 

 the younger Linnaeus, and given to a Swedish baron to satisfy a debt 

 he claimed, a deduction of one hundred guineas was made in the 

 purchase-money j and in October 1784 the collection was received, in 

 twenty-six great boxes, perfectly safe. The whole cost, including the 



freight 



