4 Rev. Mr Ramsay's Biographical Notice of 



partiality for natural history, and especially for botany ; this 

 partiality was confirmed, and the decided bias given to his 

 future studies, by the very singular circumstance of his becom- 

 in^^ the possessor of the MSS., books, and Herbarium of Linnaeus 

 himself The younger Linnaeus, a botanist of considerable emi- 

 nence, succeeded to them at his father'*s death. In 1783, as 

 he died without issue, they became the property of his mother 

 and sisters. Sir Joseph Banks was then known throughout Eu- 

 rope as the patron of science, and more especially as the enthu- 

 siastic cultivator of botanical science. The collection was ac- 

 cordingly offered to him for the large sum, as it was supposed, 

 of 1000 guineas. He declined the purchase, but advised the 

 parents of his young friend Smith to procure it for him. They 

 hesitated, wishing him, I believe, to follow some profession to 

 which they thought his botanical studies would be detrimental : 

 however the offer was accepted through Professor Acrel, the 

 friend of the family of Linnaeus. In the meantime they had begun 

 to suspect that they had been precipitate, as an offer of purchase 

 was made from Russia. Dr Sibthorpe of Oxford was also an- 

 xious to procure it for that university. Professor Acrel, how- 

 ever, insisted that he to whom the offer had been made at first 

 should have it. A small collection was taken from it on account 

 of a debt, which made a deduction in the purchase- money of 

 100 guineas. It had still another danger to encounter before 

 it reached this country. The king of Sweden, Gustavus III. 

 had been absent on a visit to France, and on his return wishing 

 to retain the collection for Upsal, he sent a messenger to the 

 Sound, who arrived after the vessel had passed ; and in Octo- 

 ber 1784 the collection arrived safe in twenty-six large boxes, 

 having cost, freight and every expence included, L. 1029. Of 

 this collection and its late possessor DecandoUe thus speaks af- 

 ter he had visited England. " Dignissimus Florae Britannicae 

 auctor cl. J. E. Smith, non tantum herbarii sui ditissimi me 

 participem comiter fecit, et circa species Sipthorpianas dubita- 

 tiones aliquot solvit, sed adhuc aditum libere concessit ad her- 

 barium Linnaeanum nunc suum, prae aliis in synonimia momen- 

 tosum, nee sine veneratione summa adeundum."" * Sir James* 



• Preface to the Systema, 



