Cultivation of Botany in England. 355 



intitle'd " Orhis enuliti Judicium de Caroli Linncei^ M.D. 

 Script is." Both fill a complete sheet of letter-press. Su- James 

 was so kmd as to give a copy of each to my son and myself, 

 with his own signature affixed. The latter of these pamph- 

 lets, sine loco et anno, like the first, appears to be a defence of 

 this illustrious man extorted from him by some of his envious 

 and prejudiced contemporaries. But what redounds as much 

 to the honour ns it must have done to the peace of the cau- 

 tious and amiable Linnaeus, is, that after having composed 

 this paper, which consists entirely of the testimony which was 

 borne to his character by the principal naturalists of his time, 

 — such as Boerhaave, Ijurmann, Sloane, Dillenius, Jussieu, 

 Haller, Gesner, Gleditsch, Breynius, &c. &c.— he afterwards 

 entirely suppressed it ; and thereby deprived his opponents of 

 those fresh subjects of disputation, which are sure to arise on 

 such occasions, and which only furnish ground for sincere pity 

 for the contending parties. It would appear as if the motto 

 which Linnaeus had chosen for this paper, 



" Famam exlollere factis 

 Hoc virtuiis opus" 



had animated him with this feeling even while composing it. 



The case is however quite different when the possessor of 

 the Linnaian herbarium, and of the other treasures left by the 

 creator of the amabilis scientia, is called on to defend himselt 

 in a couple of pamphlets against a learned bod}', under the 

 firm of UniversitasCantabrigiensis, and before the whole Eu- 

 i<>j)ean public to advocate the laws and privileges of mankind, 

 and consequently those especially of his own country, against 

 the usurping ignorance and fanaticism of the learned head of 

 one college, wlio in our German language would be termed 

 the Pro-rector, and against the fawning sycophancy of some 

 slotiiful member*. In such cases, we may well exclaim, as 

 iSuiith lias done in his defence, in the words of Milton, 

 " 1 hate wlicn Vice can bolt her ai-f^uiiients, 

 And Virtue has no tongue to check her pride." 



The whole history which Sir J. E. Smith here gives, — and 

 whicli I sIkvH relate soniewliere else, as characteristic of the 

 English Universities, the (jucslion being one which allects 

 the botanical world and the jjubiic at large,— is briefly as fol- 

 lows : 



•» Tlic titles of these two pani|ihlcts, wliich are scarcely known in Ger- 

 many, and in wliich Sir J. K.Sinilli ilcfends the eternal laws oftrnth, are: 

 " Considerations respecting (,'anil)iiil;;e, more es|)ecially relating to the 

 liotanical Professorship; hy .Sir.I. I'i. Smith. M.I). l-'.li.S. IVesidcnt of the 

 I.imi;Lan Society :" — and "A Defence of the (■Innch and the tJniversitics 

 ai;ainst such injudicious Advocates as I'rufessor Monk and the Quartci ly 

 Itevitw; hy Sir J. K. Sinilli,'' Slv. 



2 Z 2 The 



