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generally of the firft reputation in the fcienccs he 

 fludied. 



In this year he laid the foundation ftone of that 

 splendid temple of nature, in which he afterwards faw 

 the most enlightened men on the globe officiating as her 

 priefts, by publifhing the firft edition of his Syftema 

 Nature, in fourteen folio pages. This fmall profpedus 

 excited universal attention, and having fent a copy to the 

 great Boerhave, with whom he had long but unfuccefsfuUy 



been defirous of converfing, he was invited to meet him 

 at his villa near Leyden. The effect of this meeting 



was fo fatisfa^lory on each fide, that Boerhave on his de- 

 parture furniflied Linnasus with a friendly letter to pro- 

 fefTor Burmann of Amfterdam. Burmann was at that 

 time writing his Flora Zeylanica, and immediately per- 

 ceiving the great knowledge and accuracy of Linnasus, 

 took him into his house. 



At this time Dr. George ClifFort, a Burgomafter of 



Amfterdam and a dire£lor of the Dutch Eaft- India Com- 

 pany, had formed a museum and a botanic garden at 

 his seat at Hartecamp near Harleim. His fortune was 

 princely, and he had expended large fums in procuring 

 from all quarters of the globe whatever was curious 

 and valuable in botany and natural history. This coftly 

 colle£lion was depofited at Hartcamp, without arrange- 

 haent or fcientific dcfcription. Boerhave, who was his 

 phyfician, advifed him to keep a medical man in his 



