346 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



partisan) l Fru von Linne forced her husband, who by 

 such a concession surely partook largely of her guilt 

 and meanness, to procure the nomination of his pupil 

 Solander to be his future successor in preference to his 

 own son, and it was part of her plan that he should 

 marry her eldest daughter. Solander, however, dis- 

 dained both the usurpation and the bait, refusing to 

 leave England, and the misguided father recovered his 

 senses and authority, causing his son to receive this 

 truly honourable distinction. The mind and spirit of 

 the young man nevertheless still drooped, and even 

 when he had attained his thirtieth year he would 

 gladly have escaped from his miseries and his hopes 

 altogether.' 



4 Oh,' said Carl to his German friend on taking leave, 

 ' how I envy you and your good fortune ! You are at 

 full liberty : you return now to your country to enjoy 

 prosperity and contentment.' 



' How much more do I envy you ! ' replied his friend, 

 4 you are your father's successor.' 



' Poh ! my father's successor ! I would rather be 

 anything else ; I would even prefer being a soldier.' l 



The authority of the king was obliged to be exerted 

 at his father's solicitation to prevent Carl's going into 

 the army. This measure of the parent was happily 

 followed up by marked kindness and encouragement in 

 his botanical pursuits, of which treatment the son was 

 ever sensible, and he revived from his despondency before 

 1 Smith. 



