HIS WORK FOR POSTERITY 223 



them for a talisman around the neck of posterity/ 

 Stoever vies with this pearl of rhetoric in writing about 

 the botanists. 



Their devotion to science and to Linnaeus sent 

 them to their death. They died for Linnaeus and for 

 ' the cause.' We can scarcely appreciate the difficulties 

 of travel that the elder generations had to encounter. 



Linnaeus was singularly affected at the loss of 

 Loefling, February 1756, in Samaria, aged 27. Linnseus 

 heard of it in July 1757. l He was the best of all 

 my pupils/ said Linnaeus regretfully. He published 

 Loefling's letters under the title of ' Iter Hispariicum,' 

 1 in order that there might remain some memorial of so 

 worthy a pupil.' 



These travels originated many books of travel Thun- 

 berg's ; Nine Years in Europe, Africa, and Asia, espe- 

 cially Japan ' ; P. Osbeck's ' Journal of a Voyage to the 

 East Indies ' ; Sparrman's Voyage to the Cape of Good 

 Hope ' ; Kalm's ' North America ' ; Eckeberg's ' Voyage 

 to the East Indies.' The latter was the captain of 

 Osbeck's ship. He became conspicuous for his love of 

 natural history and the zeal with which he served Lin- 

 naeus. He succeeded, after many attempts, in bringing 

 the tea-plant from China. 1 



Rolander, one of young Carl's tutors, travelled ; but 

 his voyage was of no great utility ; he was one of those 

 pupils with whose conduct Linnaeus was least satisfied. 



Falk, especially named as ' a poor diligent youth,' 

 1 Smith. 



