56 rROCEEDIlS'GS. OF TIIE 



from Harwich (I read it ao) about which I never have as yet s:ot 



any answer from him. Be so kind as to put him in mind that 



I long very much to get some information from him about his 



occupations &c. 



Thanking most respectfully for the honour you intended for 



me, I subscribe myself with the most perfect consideration, 



Sirr, Tour most obedient Humble Servant, 



Petrus Camper, 



r^ -.^ T -n o Member of the Council of State at the Hague. 



To Dr. J. E. Smith, " 



Great Marlborough Street, No. 12, 



London. 



(Copy of letter in Sir J. E. Smith's handwriting.) 



Mr. Petrus CAMPER,Memb.of the Council of State, at theHague, 



July 21 [1788]. 



v5IR, 



I am honr'd with your letter of the 22" June, & should 

 have answered it immediately had I not been ill. — Tou will pardon 

 me for troubling you again before I lay the contents of y'' letter 

 before the Soc^. Having been the sole proposer of you to the 

 Soc^ and my choice having been very handsomely & unanimously 

 approved by them, I was extremely concerned to find a scheme, 

 wh. I flatter'd myself would be agreeable to all parties, so 

 unexpectedly frustrated. Nothing could exceed my surprize at 

 hearing your sentiments of the great naturalist whose name we 

 have adopted, as I always conceived, from your eminent know- 

 ledge, as well as from y'' having been the editor of some of 

 his works, that you must have esteemed Lin* highly. I did 

 not expect to find in a mind like yours any thing like narrow 

 jealousy, or the petulancy of little minds, who are angry with 

 Lin" because he cannot teach them what they have not 

 abilities to learn. You must have other reasons for your 

 iudgement, & with respect to the classes of animals wh. you 

 mention, Quad^, Birds, Amphib. & the Cetaceous fishes, my 

 liutle knowledge would sink before yours, & I might be in- 

 duced to give up my opinion, did I not know the merits of 

 Lin. in other departments to which perhaps you have paid less 

 attention. Surely, Sir, a botanist need never be ashamed to con- 

 fess himself a pupil of Lin* ? Nor do I know a systematic 

 entomologist worthy to be compared with him. But I do not 

 mean to trouble you with a defence of Lin'. I only beg leave to 

 reply to some others of y' objections. 



The Lin° Socy is a body of naturalists associated for the 

 purpose of cultivating the science, not to enlist themselves as the 

 followers of any person whatever, any further than truth directs 

 them. They have taken the name which you unfortunately dislike, 

 but wch. I do not think they w*^ readily change, unless it were 

 generally disapproved, nor should I soon be brought to con- 

 sent to such an alteration. We have always conceived this 



