SIR CHARLES LINNJflUS. 21 



which Linnaous published after his return from England, 

 an octavo book of 384 pages. He described in this 

 book upwards of 935 species of plants. This was 

 followed by other books, one of them being a very 

 comprehensive descriptive and scientific account of 

 Mr. Cliffords collection. 



To Linnaeus we owe much for having simplified 

 the study of botany. A. frequent remark of his own 

 was that the maze of ancient names " resembled a chaos, 

 the mother of which was ignorance, the father custom, 

 and the godfather prejudice." He wrote to a friend, 

 " Why shoidd we retain such useless jargon as 

 Monolasiocablenomenophyllorum, Hypophylocarpoden- 

 dorum, and all the whole family of these outlandish 

 names ? " 



So he attacked the old system in vigorous language, 

 meeting with much severe criticism, opposition, and 

 ridicule. 



In the midst of all this work financial difficulties 

 surrounded Cliffort, and he was obliged to leave his 

 beautiful villa and its valuable gardens, and shortly 

 after this event he joined a collegiate acquaintance at 

 a salary of 800 florins a year, to aid in the rearranging 

 of the botanical garden at Leyden. While engaged 

 in this work he published two other works, which 

 added materially to his reputation, and he was now 

 beginning to see the object of his ambition gratified, 

 and the accuracy of his method acknowledged. 



The Dutch Government proposed to him to go out 

 to the Cape of Good Hope on a botanical expedition 

 at the expense of the Republic, and on his return 



