LTNNEAN SOCIETY OF LONBON. 23 



known at Edinburgh when a student there, and both wrote 

 that day to Dr. Acrel, Smith asking for a Catalogue and agreeing 

 to buy the collections at the price named, if they answered his 

 expections. The following day Smith wrote to his father, and 

 after stating the case as above, he continues " .... I am so 

 ambitious as to wish to possess this treasure, with a view to 

 settle as a pliysician in London, and read lectures on natural 

 history. Sir Joseph Banks and all my friends . . . approve of it 

 highly .... There is no time to be lost, for the affair is now 

 talked of in all companies, and a number of people wish to be 

 purchasers." 



This was the beginning of a brisk correspondence on the sub- 

 ject, the elder Smith questioning the advisability of such a step 

 being taken ; in a later letter we find Smith saying : — " I have 

 learnt from Mr. Dryander [Banks's Librarian and Curator] 

 what the collection consists of; he has often seen it ; it was kept 

 in a room built on purpose by itself, for fear of hre. One side 

 of this room was quite occupied by the cabinets of fossils, which 

 are very fine ; in another part was a large cabinet of corals, and 

 some animals, as he thinks ; there was also a very large collection 

 of insects and shells. The dried plants of the elder Linnseus 

 were about 8000 ; and his son's collections in his travels, from 

 Sir Joseph, and in France, about as many more. There were 

 many cabinets round the room, and also a few books for common 

 use; but his principal library was kept in another place, and this 

 Dryander never saw ; he tells me it was considered to be a good 

 one." 



Dr. Acrel, in due course, sent a reply, dated Upsala, 9 Feb. 

 1784, in which he stated that time did not permit of a Catalogue 

 being drawn up to send with his letter, but gave a rough sum- 

 mary of the collections ; that the volumes exceeded 1500 in 

 number, besides the MSS. and letters, which were not yet put 

 into order ; many were in paper wrappers, but the greater part 

 and the important ones were bound ; defective volumes were 

 practically absent ; many rarities were in the library, and medical 

 books hardly any ; that the collections should be divided into 

 those of the father and the sou, of which : — 



The elder Linne's consisted of about 14,000 contained in three 

 cases, w hich were made for use, not for show ; and that of injury 

 by insects there was hardly a trace. 



The younger Linne's, of more recent collection, and more 

 presentable, but the number was yet uncertain ; but it had con- 

 siderable accessions from his English journey, and from Smeath- 

 man, Masson, Aublet, Sonnerat, Dombey, and others ; the col- 

 lection of shells was very fine ; that the insecti^, if offered 

 separately, would readily fetch 170 rix-dollars [£46 15s. Od.]. 

 Corals and other marine objects tine ; about 50 birds preserved 

 in glazed boxes ; fishes, both in spirit and glued to cardboard in 

 great number ; nothing could as yet be said about the fruits, 



