S THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



about a quarter of a (Swedish) mile long, and in the 

 centre of this bay stands Stenbrohult church. It is 

 surrounded on all sides, except to the west, where it 

 fronts the lake, by well-cultivated lands. At a little 

 distance to the south the eye is relieved by a beech 

 wood; to the north the lofty mount Taxas 1 rears its 

 head, and Moklen lies on the opposite bank of the lake. 

 Moreover, to the east the fields are encompassed with 

 woods which westward inclose broad meadows and large 

 spreading trees. In short, Flora seems to have lavished 

 all her beauties on the spot that was to give birth to our 

 botanist.' 



We drive through an avenue of hoary-lichened firs 

 with the lake Mockeln shimmering between their stems, 

 coloured no longer with the glassy reflections of last 

 night before the sundown, but fresh, blue, and spark- 

 ling in the limpid air, fragrant with flowers and buds of 

 the lichen-clothed juniper shrubs. We cross a bridge 

 over an arm of the lake. The influence of a gardener 

 lasts long and spreads wide ; we still perceive the influence 

 of Nils Linnaeus and his clan, all of them great gar- 

 deners, in the variety and comeliness of the vegetation, 

 which is hereabouts unusually rich. Yet one tree that 

 used to flourish here, the famous lime tree of the Linnaei, 

 is conspicuously absent. There is no lime tree growing 

 here now, or none of any stateliness. And yet there 

 might be ; for if De Candolle's list of the ascertained 



1 Linnaeus had seen few mountains when he wrote this. It is 

 as if we might say, ' the lofty Primrose Hill rears its head,' &c. 



