INTRODUCTION 17 



a century departed from, until Dr. Daubeny, soon after his 

 accession to office, erected a new dwelling-house at the back of 

 and over the Library. The annexed wood-cut presents the 

 fagade. 



This building originally comprised a lecture - room, as 

 well as apartments for the Professor's private use, and 

 received the collection of books belonging to the establish- 

 ment ; the whole, however, was soon given up for the purposes 

 of a dwelling-house, as in 1847 tne society of Magdalen 

 College permitted Dr. Daubeny to erect a building upon 

 their own ground, on the opposite side of the gateway, in 

 which his lectures were henceforth delivered. 



In compliance with the terms of Dr. Sherard's will, Dillenius 

 was appointed, on Trowe's death, Sherardian Professor in the 

 year 1734, and was admitted to the degree of D.M. in 1735.* 

 In 1736 he received a visit from Linnaeus, whose new system 



* J. J. Dill, Dillen. or Dillenius, b. Darmstadt, 1684, F.R.S. 1724, 

 M.D. Oxon. 1735, was educated at the University of Giessen, and 

 published a catalogue of the plants growing in that neighbourhood, a 

 work which established his reputation as a botanist. He also communi- 

 cated various memoirs to the Academia Naturae Curiosorum, which appear 

 in their Transactions, called "Miscellanea Curiosa." But his great strength 

 lay in cryptogamic botany ; and this, which attracted the attention of 

 Sherard, who was himself attached to this department, led him to invite 

 him to England. Whilst in this country, he engaged himself in the task 

 of describing and delineating the rare plants contained in the garden at 

 Eltham, near London, belonging to Dr. James Sherard, the brother of his 

 patron, who was likewise an enthusiastic botanist. This splendid publica- 

 tion appeared in 1732, in two vols. folio, under the name of " Hortus 

 Elthamensis," and was pronounced by Linnaeus one of the most complete 

 works of its kind ever published. Dillenius also brought out a new edition 

 of Ray's " Synopsis," with sundry additions ; but his most important work was 

 the " Historia Muscorum," which he brought to completion at Oxford, and 

 published at the Sheldon Press in 1741. All the subjects noticed in this 

 volume were drawn and etched with his own hand ; and, in spite of 

 subsequent improvements, the labour, accuracy, and discrimination dis- 

 played throughout the whole work will prevent it from ever becoming 

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