LINNAEUS 69 



On his return, Linnaeus was elected a member of the 

 Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Academien (Stockholm), 

 and at once recommenced his lectures ; but the demon 

 jealousy stepped in, by somebody complaining to the 

 authorities of the college that it was against the charter 

 of the University that lectures should be given by any 

 but those who had obtained the full academical degree 

 of Ph.D. This was a critical and trying time ; but, being 

 supported by his students, he and they went on a visit to 

 the mountainous districts of Sweden in order to study 

 mineralogy and other sciences. At Fahlun he was intro- 

 duced to Baron Eeuterholm, himself a student of nature, 

 and a man of great influence. He placed his two sons 

 under Linnaeus' care, and together with a few other young 

 nobles, all went on a travelling tour. 



On their return a little college was established under 

 the patronage of the baron, and here Linnaeus' lectures 

 and the assaying of ores brought him friends as well as 

 money. 



In 1735 he set out for Holland, spent some time at 

 Leyden, obtained his medical degree, visited Boerhaave, 

 who gave him a letter of introduction to Burmann, then 

 professor of botany at Amsterdam ; and for some time 

 he aided the professor in the description of the plants of 

 Ceylon, which the latter had collected in the island. At 

 this time Linnaeus was introduced by Boerhaave to a 

 wealthy patron named Cliffort, who spent large sums of 



