60 HISTORY OF BOTANY. 



reproduction and development. Sherard was struck with the 

 botanical merits of Dillenius, and invited him to England, 

 where he remained for the rest of his life, supported by the 

 patronage of the two Sherards.* He had the superintendence 

 of Sherard's celebrated garden at Eltham, in Kent, and 

 wrote a large folio catalogue, with illustrations and descrip- 

 tions of the rare plants growing in it, called *Hortus 

 Elthamensis' (Eltham Garden). Dr. Sherard, dying 1728, 

 bequeathed to the Oxford University a sum of money to 

 endow a professorship of Botany, providing, at the same 

 time that Dillenius should be the first occupant of the chair, 

 thus placing him in a position of considerable eminence : he 

 died at Oxford, 1747. Though without doubt an excellent 

 botanist, the temper of Dillenius was not pleasant; it is 

 generally called " peculiar," which may be freely rendered, 

 somewhat jealous and unamiable. It is to be regretted that 

 this infirmity should have led him to treat Linneus with 

 little respect when the latter came to England, and should 

 have caused our illustrious visitor to return home with a 

 feeling of disappointment from our usually frank and 

 hospitable country. 



§ 2. Linneus. 



Carolus Linneus, or Carl von Linne, was born 1707, at 

 Raslmlt, in Smaland, a province of Sweden. His father 

 was a clergyman of small means, who was unable to assist 

 him much in the prosecution of those studies to which he 

 devoted himself. First he was intended for the church, and 

 afterwards his father inclined to put him to some handicraft 

 business, but was dissuaded from this by Kothman, the 

 principal physician at Wexio, who took him into his house, 

 and under whom he studied medicine for three years. 



-'' See under " Slierardia," 2nd part. 



