8 EMINENT NATURALISTS. 



of Queen Christina, for the purpose of collecting 

 herbs and plants. He was a man of deep learning, 

 and with considerable boldness gave utterance to 

 principles which tended to completely upset some of 

 the theories generally accepted up to that period. He 

 was author of several valuable works, and his death 

 was said to have been accelerated by the destruction by 

 fire of work on which he had been engaged for some 

 years. 



Olaus Eudbeck succeeded his father as professor 

 at Upsala, and as he greatly needed assistance in the 

 botanical lectures, his choice for this work fell on 

 Linnaeus, for whom he had acquired a great liking. 

 At this time Linnaeus was twenty-three ; but the 

 vivacity of his instruction and the novelty of his 

 matter charmed his audience, and he rapidly rose in 

 favour in the college. His new plan of botanical 

 reform took hold of him ; but he very soon became 

 acquainted with the difficulties and trouble which 

 would attend the introduction of a new botanical 

 system; but the prospects of honour and fame 

 increased his zeal and impelled him to go forward. 



A society had existed for some years in Upsala 

 which had received royal sanction and assistance. 

 The object of this society was to extend the know- 

 ledge of domestic natural history. The elder 

 Rudbeck already named had some years previously 

 undertaken a journey to Lapland to collect specimens 

 of the flora and fauna of that country, at the expense 

 of King Charles XI., but his collection had been 

 destroyed in the great fire at Upsala in 1702. In 



