232 LINNJEUS. 



himself familiar with the English, French, German, 

 or even the Lapland tongues. He felt the same 

 difficulties with respect to Dutch, although he had 

 resided three years in Holland. This, however, for- 

 tunately did not prevent him from making him- 

 self sufficiently imderstood. After seeing all the 

 curiosities at Paris, he went to Rouen in the dog- 

 days. There he embarked for the Cattegat, with 

 a favourable wind, and after crossing the Sound 

 landed at Helsingburg. He immediately visited his 

 old father at Stenbrohult, rested there a few days, 

 and set out for Fahlun. After being formally be- 

 trothed to his bride, he proceeded to Stockholm, 

 where he arrived in September." 



He had left his native country in April 1734, 

 and returned in the autumn of 1738, having been 

 absent three years and a half. In the course of this 

 period, he visited Holland, England, and France, 

 formed acquaintance with many eminent natural- 

 ists, obtained his medical degree, published nume- 

 rous works on botany, and extended his fame over 

 all Europe. 



With respect to the improvements which he made 

 in that branch of natural history, it is unnecessary 

 here to enter into any detail, as it is proposed to speak 

 particularly of them in a subsequent volume. It 

 may be sufficient to remark, that there had not pre- 

 viously been any good arrangement of plants ; that 

 the principles of the science had not been laid down 

 in a satisfactory manner ; that the nomenclature was 

 barbarous and unsuitable ; the mode of distinguish- 

 ing species rude and inefficient ; and that, in short, 

 the works on this subject were little better than a 

 chaos of names and unintelligible descriptions. Some 



