254 LINN-35US. 



tures took place, a society was instituted for that 

 purpose ; and through the influence of the Danish 

 ministers. Counts Bernstorif and Moltke, an expe- 

 dition was fitted out for Arabia. In 1761, five per- 

 sons were chosen for conducting this enterprise, viz. 

 Counsellor Niebuhr, Professor Forskal, a native of 

 Sweden^ Von Haven, Cramer, and Baurnfeind the 

 painter. In June 1763, Forskal wrote to Count 

 Bernstorff, communicating some information respect- 

 ing the balsam of Mecca ; but in about a month 

 afterwards he fell a sacrifice to science, and died at 

 Jerim. His companions suffered a similar fate, 

 with the exception of Niebuhr, who on returning 

 published an account of the journey. The observa- 

 tions of the naturalist were arranged by the same au- 

 thor, and appeared in 1775, accompanied with illus- 

 trative engravings. In a letter to Ellis, several years 

 earlier, Linnaeus mentions him thus ; — " Mr For- 

 skal, an excellent pupil of mine, just appointed pro- 

 fessor at Copenhagen, is to be sent next year, at the 

 expense of the King of Denmark, to the Cape of Good 

 Hope and Arabia Felix. If God preserve him to 

 us, we may expect a multitude of interesting dis- 

 coveries. He excels more particularly in the know- 

 ledge of insects, although very well versed in the 

 other branches of natural history." Niebuhr, who 

 sent to him a copy of the posthumous work as soon 

 as it was printed, was elected a member of the 

 Stockholm Academy of Sciences, out of gratitude 

 for the pains which he had taken to preserve the 

 name of his unfortunate friend. 



Application having been made to Linnaeus, from 

 Madrid, for an able botanist, he chose Peter Lcef- 

 LiNG, one of the most distinguished of his pupils. 



