72 The L 1 F E of 



either by word of mouth, or by letter upon fuch 

 points as were not fufficiently clear to them : 

 Loefiing made a good ufe of this leave, and 

 never failed to propofe to his tutor by every re- 

 turn of pofl, fome queries on botanical fubje*5LS, 

 which were delivered by his intimate friend 

 John Otto Hagftroem^ who is now phyfician to 

 the province of Ofigothland. The great Linn^us 

 foon difcovered in the courfe of this correfpon- 

 dence, his botanical genius, and in order to en- 

 courage him, he was never deficient in anfwer- 

 ing regularly his queries. 



Dr. Linn^us defired him to return foon to the 

 univerfity, where he had the beft opportunity 

 of improving himfelf in a fcience for which he 

 had a peculiar turn. The pupil was ready to 

 comply with this invitation ; but found himfelf 

 under the moft critical dilemma, on account of 

 the poverty of his parents, who could not af- 

 ford to keep him any longer at the univerfity at 

 their expence : he therefore begged the do6lor 

 to procure him a place as private tutor. The 

 profeffor thought it his duty to encourage fo fine 

 a genius, and as there v/as no other opportunity 

 to place him, he refolved to take him into his 

 houfe, and to make him the companion of his 

 own fon. He forefaw that the tutor would not 

 only kindle a defire for improvement in botany, 



in. 



