LINN^US. 357 



Hermann and Jacquin at Vienna ; Gieseke at Ham- 

 burg; Murray at Gottingen ; Brunnich, Fabricius, 

 and Muller, in Denmark ; Gmelin, Ammann, and 

 G. Muller, in Russia; Allemand, Burmann, Gor- 

 ier, Cliffort, and Van Royen, in Holland; John 

 Gesner and Scheuchzer, in Switzerland. We do 

 not, however, find it necessary to insert any of the 

 letters of these celebrated individuals ; but shall con- 

 clude with part of a communication to the younger 

 Linnseus, from Don Joseph Celestine Mutis, pro- 

 fessor of philosophy, mathematics, and natural his- 

 tory, at the University of Santa Fe de Bogota, in 

 New Grenada. 



« From the Mines of Ybagua, Sept. 12, 1778. 



" This letter, which I have many a time, in the 

 joy of my heart, had it in contemplation to write to 

 you, my worthy friend, I find myself now scarcely 

 able to begin, on account of the grief with which 

 yours just received has overwhelmed me. As I 

 opened this letter, enclosed in one from a beloved 

 brother of mine who lives at Cadiz, I did not at 

 once discover from whom it came, the superscrip- 

 tion being in an unknown hand ; but I feared it 

 might bring me an account of the precious life of my 

 valued friend the Chevalier Von Linne being either 

 in danger, or perhaps extinct. When I had read it, 

 I perceived but too certainly the truth of what had 

 been announced in the public papers, that this great 

 man, your illustrious father, was no more. To cul- 

 tivate his faithful friendship has for many years 

 been my chief ambition, in spite of the wide dis- 

 tance between your polar region and the equator. 

 I wanted resolution to open, soon afterwards, a 



