286 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



cannot forgive him ' [Dr. Linnaeus] l the number of bar- 

 barous Swedish names, for the sake of which he flings 

 away all those fabricated in this country ; witness the 

 meadia, the azalea, that is become a calmuck, or kalmia. 

 I own I am surprised to see all Europe suffer these 

 impertinences. In a few years more the Linnaean 

 botany will be a good dictionary of Swedish proper 

 names.' 



But does not this show that all Europe agreed 

 that Linnaeus was the happiest confectioner of new 

 names for all these new wonders that had lately 

 come like a deluge of marvels upon a wondering 

 world? The Earl of Bute was blind to the marked 

 difference between the azalea and the kalmia flowers. 

 Smith thus comments on the history of the genera 

 Azalea and Kalmia. ' The former was not fabricated 

 in this country, but established by Linnaeus, 1737, in 

 his ' Flora Lapponica,' and still remains undisturbed. 

 Kalmia, class and order Decandria Monogynia ; nat. ord. 

 Bicornes Linn., Rhododendra, Juss. : Kalmia latifolia.' 



Collinson writes to Linna3us, c Dr. Hill criticises 

 your method, but not like the foul-mouthed Germans. 

 He treats you, like an Englishman, with decency and 

 good manners ; and although we cannot agree in all 

 points for no system can be perfect yet we honour 

 and esteem you for spreading arts and science and in- 

 creasing knowledge.' 



It is pleasant to see how highly Linnasus was 

 thought of in England, and instructive to compare it 



