84 HEROES OF SCIENCE. 



advantages he could wish for, in his botanical 

 studies, to which he devoted himself day and night. 

 He got his description of the plants of Lapland 

 printed, and everybody recognized the charms of 

 the descriptions in the book. 



In the year 1736, Linnaeus paid a visit to Eng- 

 land. He did so by the request, and at the 

 expense, of Mr. Clifford, who was desirous to pro- 

 cure various plants for his collection, and that he 

 should communicate with the most celebrated 

 botanists and horticulturists of the day. He 

 carried with him a letter from Boerhaave to Sir 

 Hans Sloane, who was a mere rich collector in 

 natural history, and afterwards founder of the 

 British Museum. This letter is still preserved 

 among the archives of that institution, and it is 

 written in the strongest language of recommenda- 

 tion. Notwithstanding such an honourable intro- 

 duction, however, the old baronet, who was a sort 

 of highly cultivated curiosity-shop keeper and not 

 a scientific man, was indisposed to do justice to 

 the merits of a young man whose innovations on 

 established systems he viewed with suspicion and 

 dislike. He therefore treated the stranger with 

 coldness, and dismissed him without any marks of 

 regard. One of the principal objects of interest to 

 Linnaeus, in this country, was the botanical garden 

 at Chelsea ; and from the keeper of that collection, 

 Philip Miller, an excellent botanist, he experienced 

 much attention, and was suppHed with many rare 

 plants. The garden at Chelsea was the first in 



