302 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



Kohler had been proposing to travel for Linnseus to 

 make collections at the Cape of Good Hope, and he had 

 been refused permission by the Dutch Government. 



'Who would have thought,' says Linna3iis indig- 

 nantly, ' that, as the sciences flourished so much in 

 Holland for the last fifty years, this country should be 

 so illiberal as to refuse a person leave to travel at his 

 own expense, in order to do a service alike to himself and 

 the public, by discovering the wonders of the creation ! ' 

 He requested the queen's good offices in this matter. 

 The queen listened very graciously to any recommenda- 

 tion or petition of Linnaeus in the service of science, 

 as we have seen her redeeming the papers and collec- 

 tions of Hasselquist. It seems her intercession failed ; 

 as the diary states, ' Linnaeus had actually obtained a 

 travelling exhibition for one of his pupils, through the 

 interest of the Queen of Sweden, to go to the Cape of 

 Good Hope Dr. M. Kohler, who, however, notwith- 

 standing an application had been made in his favour 

 through the ambassador at the Hague, was not permitted 

 by the Dutch Government to execute the plan, though 

 its exclusive object was the advancement of science. 

 Kohler went to Italy instead/ 



The king caused everything to be shown to Linnaaus, 

 that he might describe it from his own observation ; 

 like Alexander the Great ordered all the most curious 

 animals that could be procured to pass before Aristotle 

 that he might characterise them. He was in every 

 respect politely treated as a visitor to his royal mistress ; 



