HIS WORK FOR POSTERITY 241 



And so they went on coddling their darlings and 

 rearing their families of cuttings ; but, as Sir J. E. 

 Smith says, * It is much to be regretted that, from 

 some peculiarity in the constitution of this precious 

 vegetable, all attempts to reconcile it to the climate of 

 any part of Europe have proved of no avail at least to 

 any economical purpose.' 



The tea-plant's history has brought us in advance of 

 our chapter ; we must hark back to the earlier date. 



Much of this correspondence and these natural his- 

 tory treasures were lost in those days of war. c Good 

 God ! ' writes Dr. Garden to Ellis, ' what is the mean- 

 ing that out of twenty-one Carolina ships that sailed 

 from hence in January last and beginning of February 

 there should be nineteen taken, and with them no less 

 than 500,000 Ibs. weight of our best Carolina indigo ?^- 



Did this enormous prize lay the foundation of the 

 French fashion of blue blouses ? 



Men of science were not always respected in these 

 captures. Lawson was taken prisoner by the French 

 (before 1746), but afterwards exchanged. 



For all the foreign wars going on during Linnseus's 

 reign over the kingdoms of Nature, his subjects and 

 chief officers of all nations generally worked in harmony 

 together. Miller sent Linnaeus the dimensions of the 

 cedars of Lebanon at Chelsea ; these were lost in the 

 post, which was always uncertain in the North and 

 Baltic Seas. c Seeds and specimens I have sent you 

 1 This would seem an exaggerated report. 



VOL. II. R 



