Notices of European Herbaria, 135 



specimens, which are mostly small, but in excellent preservation, are 

 attached to half- sheets of very ordinary paper, of the foolscap size* 

 (which is now considered too small), and those of each genus co- 

 vered by a double sheet in the ordinary manner. The names are 

 usually written upon the sheet itself, with a mark or abbreviation 

 to indicate the source from which the specimen was derived. Thus 

 those from the Upsal garden are marked H. U., those given by 

 Kalm, K., those received from Gronovius, Gron., etc. The labels 

 are all in the handwriting of Linnaeus himself, except a few later 

 ones by the son, and occasional notes by Smith, which are readily 

 distinguished, and indeed are usually designated by his initials. By 

 far the greater part of the North American plants which are found 

 in the Linnsean herbarium were received from Kalm, or raised from 

 seeds collected by him. Under the patronage of the Swedish 

 government, this enterprising pupil of Linnseus remained three 

 years in this country, travelling throughout New York, New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania and Lower Canada : hence his plants are almost exclu- 

 sively those of the Northern Statesf. 



Governor Golden, to whom Kalm brought letters of introduction 

 from Linnseus, was then well known as a botanist by his correspond- 

 ence with Peter CoUinson and Gronovius, and also by his account 

 of the plants growing around Coldenham, New York, which was 

 sent to the latter, who transmitted it to Linnseus for publication in 

 the 'Acta Upsalensia.' At an early period he attempted a direct 

 correspondence with Linnseus, but the ship by which his specimens 

 and notes were sent was plundered by pirates X ; and in a letter 

 sent by Kalm, on the return of the latter to Sweden, he informs 

 Linnseus that this traveller had been such an industrious collector, 

 as to leave him little hopes of being himself further useful. It is 

 not probable therefore that Linnseus received any plants from Col- 

 den, nor does his herbarium- afford any such indication §. From 



* Upon this subject, Dr. Acrel, giving an account of the Linnaean collec- 

 tions, thus writes to Smith : — " Ut vero vir illustrissimus, dum vixit, nihil 

 ad ostentationem habuit, omnia vero sua in usum accommodata ; ita etiam 

 in hoc herbario, quod per XL. annos sedulo collegit, frustra quaesiveris 

 papyri insignia ornamenta, margines inauratas, et cet. quae ostentationis 

 gratia in omnibus fere herbariis nunc vulgaria sunt." 



t Ex his Kalmium, naturae eximium scrutatorem, itinere suo per Penn- 

 sylvaniam. Novum Eboracum, et Canadani, regiones Americas ad septen- 

 trionem vergentes, trium annorum decursu dexti-e confecto, in patriam inde 

 nuper reducem laeti recipimus : ingentem enim ah istis terris reportavit 

 thesaurum, non conchyliorum solum, insectorum, et amphibiorum, sed her- 

 barum etiam diversi generis ac usus, quas, tarn siccas quam vivas, allatis 

 etiam seminibus eorum recentibus et incorruptis, adduxit. — Linn. Amoen. 

 Acad., vol. iii. p. 4. 



X Vid. Letter of Linnaeus to Haller, Sept. 24, 1746. 



§ The Holosteum succulentum of Linnaeus (Alsine foliis elUpticis carnosis 

 of Colden) is however marked in Linnaeus's own copy of the * Species Plan- 

 tarum' with the sign employed to designate the species he at that time pos- 

 sessed ; but no corresponding specimen is to be found in his herbarium. 

 This plant has long bocn a puzzle to American botanists ; but it is clear 

 from Colden'a description, that Dr. Torrey has correctly referred it, in his 



