TAKES HIS DOCTORS DEGREE IN HOLLAND 281 



over-display his learning in a place where his country- 

 men and their books had already the reputation of being 

 too pedantic. He showed off, and they took him down 

 a peg. 



The object of his journey was as yet unachieved, and 

 Carl's copper dollars were melting away : he had not 

 been sufficiently careful of his money. We do not hear 

 what Claes Sohlberg said to all this whether he had 

 gone on good-humouredly playing second fiddle to 

 Linnaeus, or if he had already proceeded to Harderwyk ; 

 but Linnaeus took boat at Altona for Amsterdam. 

 Shore and harbour were full of masts and spires, 

 bristling with them. Linnaeus had nowhere seen such 

 wealth as here ; it was marvellous to him when he first 

 saw it. He had thought Upsala and Aarhus grand. 

 What were these to Hamburg ? Surely this must be the 

 finest place in the world. No, he had read of Paris and 

 of London. Should he ever see them ? He had no 

 previous notion of the greatness of the carrying trade. 

 Here men and cattle and all sorts of goods embark and 

 disembark, coming in from Harburg and all quarters to 

 be shipped off to Holland and to England. Here is a 

 fleet of fishing-smacks drying their nets, yonder are 

 luggermen wetting their tan sails by sprinkling them 

 with their oars. Linnaeus takes the cheapest passage 

 he can, and bargains hard for that with difficulty, as he 

 can speak neither German nor Dutch. The captain is 

 his own pilot, and cautiously threads his way among 

 the multifarious craft, and the ice-breaking vessels, with 



